


Still The One

by vix_spes



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: After Camlann Merlin Big Bang, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fingerfucking, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Frottage, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Pining, Porn, Sex Toys, Size Kink, Slow Build, oblivious boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 19:34:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 41,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4717895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The path to love never did run smooth but Leon's path is a damn sight bumpier than that of pretty much everyone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Year One

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I'm still slightly amazed that I'm actually making this post! This originally started out as a fill for the untold_legends prompts: "Percy is big everywhere and most people tend to get scared off" and just grew from there! Huge thanks to the AfterCamlann mods for organising all of this and, obviously, aaaaaaaalllll the love for somnolentlyu for the absolutely gorgeous art for my fic. It's been a pleasure working with you and thank you for the gorgeous art! Massive thanks to blue_eyed_1987 and thedragonsinger for the beta help and the hand-holding ... it's much appreciated! 
> 
> Art is over [here](http://somnolentlyu.livejournal.com/2194.html) so please do go and give it some love!!

By the time that they made it to the outskirts of Birmingham, Leon couldn’t wait to get to his halls of residence. His dad kept reminiscing about his university days as well as bemoaning the fact that Leon had decided to ‘slum it’ at the university of Birmingham to study law rather than attending Cambridge like his dad and his grandfather had. Leon just bit his lip and looked steadfastly out of the window, doing his best to focus on what he could see rather than his father’s voice. He was also doing his level best to ignore the fact that his mum kept bursting into tears intermittently over the fact that ‘her baby’ was leaving home. He was only going to Birmingham, not the end of the world but apparently to his mum, even the three hour drive from London was impossible to comprehend.

As they passed the sign welcoming them to Selly Oak, the nerves started to kick in a little bit. He was actually going to university. Somehow it hadn’t seemed real up to now, despite the reams of paperwork he’d filled in for his student loan and the terrifying amount of stuff that he had accumulated and was squashed in next to him. He had seen pictures of the accommodation when he had applied and he had probably looked round it on an open day but they had all blended into one after not too long. All he knew was that he would be sharing a flat with three other guys that he had never met. He just hoped that he would get on with them. After all, he was going to have to live with them for the next year.

He just hoped that he got on with them okay and that they didn't think that he was a posh twat. Which he definitely wasn't. Unfortunately, that wasn't what everybody thought and Leon had had enough abuse hurled at him from the lads who had gone to the local comprehensive over the years. He supposed that he could understand where they came from, after all he did live in a large house and went to a private school a few miles away, where the fees where the same price as some people's yearly income but he didn't think that made him posh or a twat; he was just very lucky. His parents, on the other hand, could be both. Much as he loved them, his mum could be an incredible snob and his dad could be a posh twat, much to Leon's horror. He also had very specific ideas of what Leon should do with his life, particularly where university and career were concerned.

When they finally made it to Selly Oak Village (Leon’s dad had got thoroughly confused by the few one way streets), Leon managed to persuade his parents to stay in the car while he grabbed his paperwork and went to register and find out where he was actually going to be living for the next year. It didn’t take nearly as long as he had thought it would. He supposed that they had it down to a fairly streamlined art these days and everyone was shown into orderly lines when they entered the room. In no time at all, he had been given a thick wad of papers including the rules and regulations of living in the village, a key-ring with the keys to his new flat and that vital piece of kit; a Fresher’s welcome pack that he was assured contained all of the necessary information on Fresher’s events not only in the village but also the main Student Union as well. The second year resident who was in charge of Leon’s building gathered a few of them up and took them over, checking that they knew where they were going and that they knew what codes and keys they needed for various doors.

Upon being shown his flat, Leon came to the quick realisation that he was the first to arrive. When he commented upon it, Guy – the resident – had clapped him on the back and told him that meant he had first choice over which shelf and drawer he wanted in the fridge and freezer. By that point, Leon knew that he had dawdled enough and, if he didn’t go and collect his parents (and his stuff), he was never going to hear the end of it. Besides, the quicker he emptied the car then the quicker his parents would leave. With that thought in mind, he hurriedly locked the flat and made his way downstairs. With any luck, they could empty the car and his parents would be on their way by the time his new flatmates arrived. He loved his parents, he really did, but he was desperate for the freedom of university and, besides, things had been decidedly strained between him and his father for the last few months when it had been discovered that Leon and Geraint, the co-captain of the rugby first XV, had been doing more than discussing strategy. And that was even without taking into consideration Leon's choice of university. At least his father approved of the course that Leon was doing.

Their reaction, when they finally made it up the stairs with the first load of his belongings was exactly what he had expected. His mum had sniffed and expressed the opinion that it was rather small and the furniture looked as though it would fall apart if you touched it wrong. His father had simply looked around and said nothing, electing to stomp back downstairs for the next load of things. Leon could see him muttering under his breath and could guarantee that the words included ‘JCR’, ‘formal hall’, ‘porter’ and how there was a distinct lack of them at Birmingham. Leon refused to rise to the bait though and instead asked his mum to get the bedding sorted and went down to the car himself. All he had to do was take deep breaths and keep calm; they would be gone in no time.

The minute that his parents left, Leon couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He loved his parents dearly, but they had sorely tested his patience over the last few weeks. Despite the nerves that he felt about meeting the guys that he was going to be living with and the fact that he was starting university, Leon was looking forward to starting this new chapter. His room was bigger than he had remembered it would be; something that relieved him because he didn’t want to be living in a box for the next year. Yes, it was much smaller than his room at home but for a room in halls of residence it was more than respectable. It was amazing what a difference just having his own bedding on the bed made. It didn’t take him long to get his clothes put away in the drawers, the few good shirts that he had brought with him for going out in the wardrobe and his cases hidden away under the bed and on top of the wardrobe. His rugby kit didn’t fit anywhere – no surprises there – and he made a mental note to check through the wealth of Fresher’s information for the details about try-outs because he had no intention of missing those. Or having to do them with a hangover.

He was just in the process of sorting out all of the stationary supplies that he had brought with him, organising his books and DVDs and making sure that he had his laptop in exactly the place that he wanted it when the door banged open and he heard Guy calling out his name. Guy’s wasn’t the only voice that he could hear though so he assumed that one of his flatmates had arrived as well. Padding out to the communal area, he realised that either one flatmate had turned up with what seemed like his whole family or two out of the three remaining flatmates had arrived at the same time. The minute that he appeared in the room, Guy flung his arms around the shoulders of two blond teenagers.

“Leon, meet Owain and Will, two more occupants of Flat 6.”

Leon smiled politely and said hello, exchanging handshakes and slightly awkward small talk with both his new flatmates and their parents. To his relief, the dads soon started making noise about emptying their cars and getting back on the road to hopefully avoid getting stuck in rush-hour traffic. Out of habit and wanting to be polite, Leon offered to help but was brushed off and told that he had enough unpacking of his own to do. Secretly quite relieved, Leon headed back to his room to finish unpacking. It seemed to take no time at all to get his printer and his speakers hooked up and then he was mostly done. Or at least, everything was out of suitcases and boxes and the empty receptacles had been tucked away. No doubt he would change things around at some point but, for the time being, he was happy.

Not really knowing what to do with himself; he wanted to give his flatmates space to sort themselves out but equally he didn’t want to appear to be unsociable, he decided to compromise. Finding a doorstop that he definitely didn't remember packing, he propped his door open, put iTunes on random shuffle and set about choosing some photos to pin up on the noticeboard above his desk. The obligatory photo of his parents got pinned up first, just so that it was done and then came the more pleasurable photos. The next one to be pinned up was of the first XV on the day they won the under-18s school league. The whole team stood or crouched, medals hanging round their necks, arms slung around each others shoulders and broad grins on their faces. Their white shorts were no longer pristine white in most cases, streaked with mud instead, and more than a couple of them bore bruises and smears of dried blood with pride. Leon himself was stood in the centre, a beaming smile on his face, one hand holding onto the cup and the other arm flung around his co-captain, Geraint. The rest of the photos featured his two ex's heavily; Geraint and Gwen. He had dated Gwen first, throughout their final GCSE year in what had been the first relationship for both of them.

They had split up the summer that they got their GCSEs after Leon had noticed his eyes straying towards his team-mates far more than they should have done while on a rugby training camp and Gwen had had a whirlwind holiday romance in Chile whilst on holiday with her family. It had all been very amicable and the two had managed to salvage their friendship whilst still remaining affectionate towards one another, something that had confused their friends and classmates no end. The start of sixth form had heralded the arrival of Geraint and Leon had fallen head over heels. The two of them and Gwen had been inseparable, and Leon knew how lucky he was. He had shared a lot of firsts with them both and, as hard as the decision had been to make for he and Geraint to end things, they had both been mature enough to accept that, with Geraint going to university in the States, the likelihood of them sustaining a long-distance relationship at the age of 18 was slim to none.

Looking back, the two relationships couldn't have been more different if he had tried. He had known Gwen for years before they had even thought about being boyfriend and girlfriend; they had been in the same class from primary school and had even managed to remain friends, even when his parents sent him to the local private school as a day-student at the age of eleven. He and Gwen had spent all of their time together outside of school and, when all of their peers had started talking about boyfriends and girlfriends and getting together, it seemed to be the logical conclusion that they started dating. In truth though, there had been very little difference between their friendship and their supposed relationship. They had continued doing everything that they had done as friends only they had done it with the label of boyfriend and girlfriend. In fact, the only thing that seemed to change was that they were more physically affectionate with each other than they had been previously. Even so, his relationship with Gwen had been nothing like the relationships any of their friends had been in; they hadn't had the urge to sneak away as often as possible for making out sessions or anything more.

That had been his relationship with Geraint.

He and Geraint had been the epitome of horny teenagers. There had been innumerable stolen moments, in empty changing rooms, in their bedrooms, in a whole host of places. With Gwen, Leon had shared his first kiss and first awkward fumblings but with Geraint, he'd had not only his first kiss with a male but his first blowjob and first handjob as well. If he were honest, in an ideal world he wouldn't have broken up with Geraint, at least not yet, but it was probably for the best that they had broken up before they started university; fresh starts for both of them.

“Those your mates?”

He turned to the door to see Owain stood there, a look of friendly curiosity as he nodded at the photo in Leon’s hand; one of him, Geraint and Gwen surfing in Cornwall over the summer. Leon had thought long and hard above what he was going to say when the question of sexuality came up with his new flatmates, as it inevitably would. Ultimately, he had decided that, even if it caused awkwardness, he didn’t want to hide something that was part of him.

“My ex actually.”

“Huh? Which one?”

“Um, well, both of them.” He said it nonchalantly, even as he held his breath for Owain’s response.

Owain merely blinked. “Okay, not the answer I was expecting. Cool. Not my thing but I don’t have a problem. The adults have all left and my dad left a crate. You want a beer?”

“Yeah sure. Thanks.”

And that was apparently that. Leon followed Owain into the living room/kitchen and accepted the bottle of beer that he was offered. Will was already there, his own bottle of beer half-drunk. Slowly, they started to exchange details; telling each other where they were from, what course they were doing and the like. Owain was going to be studying business while Will was doing something with media; the kind of degree that Leon's father would have turned his nose up at. Owain had just got up to get them all a second beer when the flat door was flung open to reveal Guy once more.

“Inmates of Flat 6, meet your newest resident. Lads, meet Percy. Percy, this is Leon, Owain and Will. If you need me for anything then I’ll be around and don’t forget the welcome BBQ in a couple of hours in the courtyard.”

The guy who walked into the flat behind Guy immediately had Leon (and his cock!) paying attention. Leon didn’t have a particular type – it all depended on the person, not what they looked like – but he liked the look of Percy very much indeed.

The first thing that you couldn't help but notice was that the guy was built like a brick outhouse; all chest and arms that made Leon want to drool. Leon himself was well over six foot but this guy had a couple of inches on Leon and Leon found that he rather liked that. He was the complete polar opposite of both Gwen and Geraint, at least in looks – only time would tell with regards to personality – but then again, with looks like that, a few quirks and bad habits could no doubt be easily ignored. Leon took a quick swallow of his beer and tried to stop thinking like that. Yes, the guy was ridiculously attractive and Leon had been struck by the immediate urge to climb him like a tree but he knew that that wasn't advisable.

He had only ever been in two relationships, both of them long-term, and he had no intentions of jumping straight into another relationship, or even a fling, especially with somebody that he was living with. And there he was again, jumping ahead and thinking about relationships already. Hell, he had barely just broken up with Geraint and here he was thinking about someone else. He had no idea if Percy was single, let alone what his sexuality was. Leon did his best not to gawp as Guy left the room and Percy swung his bags back onto his shoulder and picked up the box at his feet, his muscles bunching as he did so but he had the feeling that he was failing miserably. As a result, he could have kissed Will when he decided to speak up.

“No parentals with you?” Will poked his head over the back of the sofa, apparently having necked half of his second bottle of beer already.

“Just my mum, she’s parking the car. Or trying to.” Percy tipped his head in the direction of his room, the one catty-corner from Leon’s. “I’ll just dump these and then go and get the next lot. There's no way she'll be able to lift some of the boxes by herself.”

“We’ll give you a hand.” Owain spoke the words before Leon had the opportunity.

“Yeah?” A slow smile spread across Percy’s face and Leon hoped that his face hadn’t given away the way that his traitorous cock had responded to said smile. “That would be great, cheers.”

They let Percy dump his first load of belongings and all trooped down with him, using his set of keys to lock up the flat. By the time they made it downstairs, Percy pointed them in the direction of a small silver car that was neatly slotting into a just vacated spot. The woman who got out of the car was the complete opposite of what Leon had been expecting, was the complete opposite of Percy. Short and slight where Percy was tall and broad, she was grateful for the extra pairs of hands and thanked them all profusely. With five of them, it seemed to take no time at all before the car was emptied, Percy’s mum making his bed up, leaving the rest of his room stacked high of suitcases, boxes and a Canterbury kit bag identical to the one in Leon’s room. Knowing that the goodbye (and ensuing tears) was imminent, Leon, Owain and Will made themselves scarce in their own rooms, finding trivial things to occupy them. Maybe fifteen minutes later, the front door of the flat opened to reveal a slightly red-eyed Percy who shrugged a little self-consciously.

“It’s always just been me and mum. It’s going to be weird.” He didn’t say anything else and none of them were too sure how to answer, instead smiling sympathetically. They weren’t sure how they would answer if it was someone they had known for a while nevermind someone they had just met.

Owain solved the problem. “Another beer anyone? Percy?”

(~*~)

The first few days seemed to fly by. They didn’t see much of Will after the first social but Leon, Owain and Percy stuck together as they wandered through the Fresher’s fair checking out all of the societies that they could join, enrolling in the university and their individual courses and joining the gym on campus. Contrary to what Leon had originally thought, Owain was a footballer rather than a rugby player and was going out for the university squad leaving Leon and Percy to go out for rugby. He couldn’t help but be a bit relieved that three members of their flat were sportsmen; it made it easier for them to decline Will’s pleas for them to go out clubbing the night before try-outs.

He knew that it was a Fresher’s thing going out clubbing every night but that didn’t mean that Leon had to participate ever night or even enjoy it; he’d never been a big fan of clubbing anyway. He was much more a fan of going down the pub for a few pints if he went out at all. He didn’t have anything against going out for a few drinks (or even more than a few!) but the Fresher’s schedule was relentless. It seemed as though the whole point of Fresher’s week was to tick off every single bar on the t-shirt they were given and that didn’t take into account the “pre-drinking” that they were “supposed” to do. None of that was really Leon’s scene. He had enjoyed the welcome BBQ and one of the quieter club nights but the prospect of a Vodbull party where pretty much the only drink on offer was a mixture of vodka and Red Bull had him shuddering in distaste. A couple of the other second year residents who played rugby, noticing the dislike that Percy and Leon shared for these kind of events, warned them that if they were successful at try-outs then they would have to go through an initiation evening but once that was over things calmed down and they focused on the rugby. Leon had been expecting something like that and had accepted that, if he wanted to play university rugby, he had to take part in initiation. At least they didn’t call it hazing like the Americans did. That had to count for something right?!

The try-outs for the university’s fresher’s XV rugby team took place on the first full weekend that they were at uni, at ten in the morning on the pitch closest to Selly Oak village. Knowing that the trials started at ten but that they would want to be there early enough that they could warm up beforehand, a very relieved Leon and Percy had announced that they wouldn’t be attending the Vodbull party. Owain had moaned about how unfair that was; the football trials were the morning of the Vodbull party so he had no excuse not to go. Leon and Percy had happily waved the two of them out of the flat from the kitchen/living area where they were planning a Game of Thrones marathon on Leon's laptop.

It was actually the first night that they had had in without drinking since they had arrived at uni and both of them had expressed their relief. Having not really eaten properly since they had arrived, they had decided to cook and, while Leon had several student cookbooks with him, he hadn't actually used any of them yet. Not wanting to eat takeaway or a microwave meal again, he eyed Percy speculatively.

“I don't supposed you can cook, can you?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Because I think I will cry if I have to eat takeaway again and unless it's breakfast, I can't cook for shit. I will happily offer my contents of the fridge and my services with a knife if you can cook enough for the two of us.”

Percy ambled over to the fridge and inspected the contents before calling over his shoulder. “Throw in a couple of those Sols that you have and we have a deal. Chilli sound good?”

“Sounds fantastic. I'll get the beers and then you can tell me what to do.”

By the time Leon had the beers ready, Percy had a multitude of ingredients spread across the counter along with an array of knives and pans.

“Here we go, beer's up. What do you want me to do?”

“Put the DVD on, start chopping those and tell me what you think we're in for tomorrow.”

The following morning, Leon and Percy were just on their way out of the door, kit bags slung over their shoulders, when Owain emerged from his room looking as though he was about to audition for the next series of The Walking Dead. He didn't appear to have seen them so, exchanging a quick conspiratorial grin with Percy, Leon called out, making sure to time it just right.

“Morning Owain! Good night last night?”

“Fuck!”

The two of them laughed uproariously as Leon's timing meant that Owain walked into the door frame.

“Fuck off, you bastards. I hope you get hit in the head with multiple rugby balls.”

“We'll see you later!”

As it turned out in the end, the trials were no different to any other trials that Leon had done over the years for county and age-group sides, except for the fact that the standards were higher. There were a multitude of cones and tackle bags laid out on the pitches and they were set to various drills to test their aptitude, all overseen by coaches with clipboards. Once they had done a multitude of drills, mostly to assess their tackling, passing and general ball skills along with their general fitness they were split into teams for mini games.

Leon found himself on a different team from Percy and so watched the other man with interest after he had scoped out the competition. He was fairly confident that he was in with a chance if he didn't fuck up his matches. He was also certain that Percy would be in the clear. The guy was a powerhouse on the field and far quicker than Leon would have expected. It was a relief when his group was called forward because Percy's arse and thighs in the standard white shorts were far too distracting for Leon's liking. He had no intention of failing trials because he was ogling his flatmate.

They were thoroughly put through their paces and then let go for lunch with the instructions to return in an hour for results. Not bothering to walk properly onto campus, Leon and Percy spent the time comparing notes over lunch in the Selly Sausage before trekking back to the pitches.

Despite his earlier confidence, Leon couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as the coaches started to read out names. He wasn't surprised by the first few names to be read out, having identified them as likely picks himself. As they carried on reading out names, he started to get even more nervous. Percy's was the eighth name called out and Leon clapped him on the shoulder, despite the slightly sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. By the time that his own name was read out, fourteenth out of fifteen, Leon was ready to throw up and he nearly face-planted from the force of Percy clapping him on the back. He tuned back in as the coaches continued talking.

“Thank you all of you for trying out and we're sorry that we can't take all of you. Congratulations to all of you who have been successful. Welcome drinks at the club, 7pm tonight.”

~*~

It didn't take Leon too long to fall into a routine. Out of the four of them, Leon had the most contact time in terms of lectures and seminars, not to mention in terms of workload with reading and essays, with Owain having a fair amount as well. Percy and Will had significantly less but Percy at least seemed to do something having got a coveted position at a local gym and leisure complex who had taken him on as a lifeguard but would train him up as a personal trainer as well. Will was a completely different matter and seemed to be the odd one out in the flat. As far as Will was concerned, it seemed as though Freshers week had never finished; he was clubbing or partying almost every single night. In comparison, although they would occasionally go out clubbing, the other three were far happier staying at home with a few drinks and the occasional take-away or going to one of the several pubs or bars in Selly Oak that had Sky Sports to watch a match and have a few pints.

For the first few weeks, he wasn't going to lie, Leon felt as though he was drowning. He was used to hard work – it had been expected of him from both his family and his school after all – but he hadn't quite been expecting the step-up from A-levels to university. Everything moved so quickly in lectures with some of the lecturers not bothering to explain things and it wasn't unusual for Leon to find himself with a long list of things to look up in the library at the end of a lecture. Still, he was enjoying himself. He made sure to talk to his parents once a week and, much to his relief, by the time he had been in Birmingham for a month his mum could get through a conversation without crying and his father was slowly thawing towards him. He Skyped with Gwen and Geraint once a week and was happy to find that they were both happy and settling in at their respective universities.

Of course, there wasn't just his course workload, there was rugby as well. Leon and Percy had both made the Freshers XV so not only had training for two hours every Monday evening and an hour and a half at seven am every Tuesday morning but both of them could be found in the campus gym at least three times a week. Once things calmed down slightly, Leon discovered that Gareth, one of the forwards from the team, was also on his course and the two of them formed a sort of study group with two girls; Mithian and Morgana. Between the four of them, the rugby team and his flat-mates, Leon certainly wasn't lacking in friends to spend time with.

The majority of his time was spent with Percy and Morgana. They didn't fill the gap left by Gwen and Geraint but they made their own spaces, just like all of his new friends did in their own way. Out of all his new friends, Mithian was probably most similar to Gwen. They both had a very sweet, easy-going personalities although Mithian had a mischievous streak that Leon had never known in Gwen. Morgana was the complete opposite, having a wicked sense of humour and a razor-sharp wit that she wasn't afraid to employ at other people's expense. She was as brilliant as she was beautiful and with the cut-throat nature that they had caught glimpses of, Leon had no doubt that she was going to make an excellent lawyer once she had graduated.

The two women might have been complete opposites in both looks and personality but they definitely had one thing in common; Leon had never met anyone as blunt as they were before. While they were both familiar with the concepts of diplomacy and tact, neither of them tended to use it, Morgana far less than Mithian. It certainly made for interesting times when they had both had a drink or two.

Gareth was fairly loud, easy-going and, seemingly, friends with everyone. He was the life and soul of the party and, it quickly became apparent at rugby socials, willing to do anything for a dare. Leon liked the guy an awful lot but he got the feeling that there were going to be times when he needed a break from Gareth's exuberance.

In Percy, Leon had found his double. While their upbringings had been completely different, they were so similar in their likes and dislikes that it was slightly scary. They had the same taste in books, films, music and as long as you didn't get them started on their favourite rugby teams it was all good. They would often spend nights in watching dvds, sometimes with Morgana who didn't get on particularly well with her flatmates, and it all would have been wonderful if Leon could somehow stop thinking about how much he wanted to kiss Percy.

Observant as she was, it didn't take Morgana long to work out the state of play and she dragged everything out of Leon over a bottle of vodka. Every movie night after that was then accompanied by copious eye-rolling and Morgana mouthing the words “Just kiss him” every single time that Percy wasn't looking.

~*~

Just after reading week – during which he had stayed on campus in order to take advantage of the fractionally quieter library – Leon found something out that sent him reeling. He had been doing well, or at least he thought he had been doing well at ignoring anything more than friendship for Percy. It didn't exactly work all of the time. How could it when, not only was Percy there all the time looking so attractive, but he was so bloody nice! The man was the absolute epitome of a gentle giant. Leon didn't think that he'd seen him lose his temper or even get slightly angry in the time that they'd lived together.

What he had noticed, much to his disappointment, was that Percy appeared to be straight. In fact, all of his flatmates did. Leon wasn't entirely surprised by that. After all, Owain had mentioned it on their very first day in the flat and had a very sweet flirtation going on with Sefa, one of the girls in the flat next to theirs, while with the amount of slightly boorish, laddish remarks that Will had made about pulling during Freshers week, there was no way that he could be anything but straight. Percy though, Leon hadn't been completely sure as to which way he swung.

It was Mithian's suggestion that they go clubbing as a celebration for having done a presentation successfully in their seminar. She lived in one of the older halls of residence where there were twelve to a flat and apparently some of her flatmates were regular visitors to the Birmingham Gay Village and Mithian had tagged along with them a few times. She suggested that, as they had no lectures the following morning, they go to a bar called DV8 that she had been to a couple of times. With no better suggestions and, really not wanting to go to the Guild, they had all agreed to go.

When they arrived at the club, it was hard to know who was more shocked by what they saw; Leon or Gareth. In addition to the traditional club security, DV8 had also employed several drag queens who walked up and down the queue of people waiting to get in, flirting and making lewd comments to those who took their fancy. Unsurprisingly, Leon was singled out and stood blushing like mad at the comments he received while his friends, traitors that they were, simply stood and laughed.

“Do you want to just meet us inside Leon? I think you've managed to pull there.”

Morgana was laughing so hard that Leon wasn't sure how she was still standing on her heels and Mithian wasn't much better.

“Fuck off, both of you.” Leon craned his neck, trying to see how far away from the front of the queue they were. “Bloody hell, if it's this busy on a Thursday night I'd hate to be here on a Friday or a Saturday.”

“Stop complaining Leon. Oh look, your new friend is coming back. I'd hide if you don't want your cheeks pinching again.”

“Oh balls!” Leon ducked behind Gareth, inching along hunched over in an attempt to keep hidden until they were inside the club.

(~*~)

Much to Leon's relief, things improved dramatically once they were inside although he wasn't entirely sure how much of that was down to the fact that, once they'd paid the entrance fee, they had been informed that as long as they kept hold of their cup all night and drank certain drinks, they didn't have to pay for a drink all night. As far as Leon was concerned, even though he wasn't quite the poor student that some of his friends were, that was still worth drinking vodka all night. As soon as he had a drink in hand, Leon took the time to scan the room and take in the venue for the evening. He had barely enough time to have a few sips of his drink before Morgana grabbed him by the hand and dragged him onto the dance floor where Mithian and Gareth were waiting for them, the two of them already doing the actions and mouthing along to whatever song was playing.

By the time it got to 1am, Leon had lost count of the number of vodka and lemonades that he had had and was enjoying himself far more than he had thought possible. Yes, he had heard far too much from the back catalogues of Kylie and Beyonce alongside the standard gay classics but it had been worth it to see Gareth's atrocious dancing. He was just on his way back from the toilets, after dodging another attempt to pinch his bum from the blond in the silver hot pants, when he caught sight of something that sent his ebullient mood crashing down. He stood, unable to move, in front of the doorway to the toilet until he was unceremoniously shoved out of the way. There, in the centre of the dance floor, standing out head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd was Percy. And he wasn't alone. Well, Leon supposed that this answered the question as to whether Percy was interested in men or not. He was still stood there, unable to take his eyes off the sight in front of him, when Morgana found him.

“Leon! You were taking ages so I thought I'd come and see if you needed to be rescued from silver hot pants.”

Leon didn't respond. He simply continued staring at the sight of Percy dancing with the guy in the centre of the dance floor. Well, he supposed that what Percy was doing could sort of be described as dancing; his dance partner was definitely doing something that could only really be described as grinding. What was even worse was the fact that Percy clearly didn't mind that, particularly considering that his hands were practically glued to the other man's arse.

“Isn't that Percy?” Morgana had met Leon's flatmates on numerous occasions, taking care of Will's attempts at flirting with withering put-downs. “Let's go and say hell.. oh.”

Morgana's voice tailed off as Percy leant down and kissed the guy that he had been dancing with. “I didn't realise Percy swung both ways.”

Leon tried to smile but had the feeling that it came out as more of a grimace. “Neither did I.”

Morgana turned to look at him at the tone of his voice. “Oh Leon, I'm sorry.” Morgana gave him an unexpected hug before stepping back and taking hold of his hand, leading him towards the bar. “Come on, this calls for more vodka.”

(~*~)

The following morning, Leon woke feeling like his head had been smashed in by Thor and he'd eaten the carpet. Opening his eyes to muffled laughter, he found himself, well, face to feet with Gareth. Moving as best as he could without disturbing Gareth too much, he found that he was on the floor of Mithian's room in some sort of nest of sheets and blankets.

"What the hell happened last night? Why are we all here?"

"We didn't leave the club until they kicked us out at 6am and we were all far too pissed. Mith was the only one who could remember her address hence why we're all here."

"How are you using words like hence? How have you not got a hangover? You drank just as much as us."

"Ah yes, but I took painkillers and drank water before I went to bed. Plus, we were drinking vodka. I don't get a hangover if I drink vodka. Anyway, Mith has got coffee, painkillers and bacon sandwiches in the kitchen which should make you feel more human. We'll leave Sleeping Beauty to it."

As Morgana moved towards the door, stepping over Gareth's still comatose body, Leon threw back the blankets and stared down at himself.

"Uh, Morgs? Where are my clothes?"

"God knows, you and Gareth thought it would be a good idea to see who could do the best striptease at 7am this morning. Some of Mith's flatmates got quite the show. Just wear a blanket and get a move on; the sandwiches will be getting cold."

Leon supposed that he should be grateful that the girls were nice enough to let him start to feel a little bit more human. Even so, with his head pounding and wearing nothing more than a blanket over his boxers, he couldn't help but admire their interrogation technique.

"So, Percy?"

"What about Percy?"

"What are you going to do about him, Leon? I thought the only reason that you hadn't tried anything was because you thought he was straight? You know he's definitely interested in men now so what have you got to lose?"

"I'm not going to do anything. I might talk to him but I'm not going to make a move on him if that's what you think."

“But why not? Look, he's interested in men, you're interested in men. You're interested in him, if he's got any sense he'll be interested in you. I fail to see what the problem is.”

“You're oversimplifying things. Percy's become a good friend and I don't want to lose that. I've been lucky in the past – I managed to have amicable break-ups with both Gwen and Geraint but there's no guarantee of third time lucky. What if I say something to Percy but he definitely isn't interested in me? Just because he's interested in men doesn't mean that he's interested in me.”

“If he isn't then there's something wrong with him. I so would. You know, if you didn't have a cock.”

Leon chuckled and reached across the table to squeeze Mithian's hand. “I appreciate the sentiment. But, like I said, what if I say something to him and he isn't interested? We're only in October and we'd still have to live with each other for another eight months; you know how difficult it is to get room exchanges. I'm not sure I could do it. It's too risky.”

“But ...” Mithian gave Leon one of the most woebegone looks he had ever seen, although he swore that if he weren't so hungover he wouldn't be quite so susceptible.

“But nothing,” Leon made sure that his tone of voice was as firm as it could be and reached for his coffee, only to have Morgana slide it out of his reach. “What are you doing?”

“You can have your coffee back when you agree to talk to Percy. You don't have to tell him that you want to climb him like a tree but you should tell him that you saw him at DV8 and that you're also interested in men. It will just leave your options a bit more open. Do we have a deal?”

“Fine, yes. Now will you please give me my damn coffee?”

“Of course. A pleasure doing business with you. Now, let's go and wake up Sleeping Beauty shall we?”

Leon couldn't help but shiver and feel grateful that he was already awake when he saw Morgana's smirk and, considering how sweet and innocent she looked, Mithian really did have an evil laugh.

~*~

Despite his deal with Morgana and Mithian, it took Leon over a week before he was able to muster up the courage to speak to Percy. There were several occasions when he thought that he was about to bring up the subject and then something intervened, whether that was one of their flatmates coming home or Leon simply chickening out. Finally, ten days after that evening at DV8, he took the opportunity to talk to Percy. They didn't have a clue where Will was and Owain was away for the weekend so it was just the two of them in the flat.

They had had a fairly big match the previous day where they had slaughtered the Fresher's XV of Warwick University so the celebrations had, of course, been suitably messy so Leon had offered to make breakfast for the two of them. Except, by the time they woke up, it was more like brunch. Multiple coffees and a huge English breakfast later, Leon took a deep breath and summoned all of his courage. It didn't matter what he said because he was undoubtedly going to fuck it up.

“So, you looked as though you were having a good time in DV8 last week …”

“What?”

Percy's head snapped up so fast that Leon winced, positive that he'd heard a crack.

“I saw you in DV8 last week. Well, Morgana, Mithian and I all saw you.”

“Why didn't you say anything at the time?”

“You, um, were a bit busy at the time.”

“Busy?” Percy's eyes widened. “Oh! Yes, um … well.”

“I, er, we hadn't realised that you were, um,” Leon didn't think that he'd ever had such an awkward conversation except for maybe the one with his dad after he had found out about Leon and Geraint. “We hadn't realised that you batted for the other team.”

“Both teams actually. Is there a problem with that?” Percy leant back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, proving quite the distraction for Leon.

“No, of course not. Or have you managed to miss both the fact that I was in DV8 and that I've spoken about both my ex-boyfriend and my ex-girlfriend?”

“So why make a big deal about it?”

“I'm not making a big deal of it, I just wanted to know why you didn't tell me, I mean us. I thought we were friends.”

“We are friends, I just don't like talking about it and it never really came up in conversation. It would have come up eventually I guess. So, we've established that we both swing both ways … we good?”

Leon nodded. “Yup, we're good.”

The two of them sat in awkward silence before Percy cleared his throat.

“So, you up to anything this afternoon? They're showing Bath vs. Sarries down at The Goose if you fancy it?”

“Sounds good to me.” If they were going to sit in awkward silence, they might as well have rugby to watch.

They made it to half-term and a pint apiece before they actually said something to each other that wasn't to do with the match. It was Percy who cracked before Leon, disappearing briefly before returning with another round for them.

“Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be a dick. People have been twats about my sexuality in the past, especially some of the guys on my team so I didn't want to say anything until I knew people a bit better. I guess I was just so paranoid that I didn't pay attention to what you were saying about your exs.”

“It's fine, seriously.” Leon had the feeling that he might well regret his next words but he still said them anyway. “Maybe next time we go to DV8 you'd like to come with us?”

“Cheers mate, that'd be grand. Oh look, here we go, second half...”

~*~

Even though they had both ballsed up their conversation about their sexuality, Leon and Percy were back to normal. In fact, their conversation seemed to have taken a weight off Percy's shoulders and, even though they hadn't noticed anything amiss before reading week, they could hardly miss how much more relaxed Percy seemed.

Hugs became a regular occurrence and, as far as Leon was concerned, were both the best and the worst things to exist. They were the best because they were huge bear hugs, completely enveloping you in those ridiculous arms and Percy's broad chest and it was for exactly that same reason that they were the worst. Leon liked to think that he was managing to hide the fact that he felt anything but friendship for Percy but that wasn't exactly easy when he was pressed up against Percy's chest and Percy's arms were wrapped around him. Percy had also started joining them when they went out into the Gay Village and, much like Percy's hugs, Leon had a love/hate relationship with these nights. There was relief in that, with Percy there, the drag queens paid far more attention to him than to Leon and there was a dancer who was worse than Leon – Gareth, the bastard, was actually pretty damn good. However, the downside was that Leon was a spectator to the number of people that were interested in Percy. Taking into account the “straight” clubs on Broad Street as well as the bars and clubs in the Gay Village, that number was seemingly endless.

To his relief, it was announced that the rugby Christmas social wouldn't be held in the town centre but would instead be a Harborne Run; a pub crawl down the main street of Harborne, a suburb of Birmingham close to the university. Leon had heard about the legendary Harborne Run's from older students on other rugby socials and the general consensus seemed to be that most of them remembered starting the run but, inevitably, couldn't remember finishing it, eleven pubs later. Leon couldn't help but feel a bit of trepidation but, then again, considering that they had got away without doing a huge initiation as university sports societies clamped down on hazing he couldn't really complain too much.

With it being the Christmas social, they were informed that costumes weren't optional and if they weren't risqué enough then they would be fined with a dirty pint so both Leon and Percy had reluctantly dressed themselves in the ubiquitous 'sexy Santa' outfits (and hadn't it been fun trying to find one of those big enough for Percy to wear). All the way to Harborne, Leon was constantly resisting the urge to tug at the hem of his skirt even if he was wearing his rugby under shorts below the costume. Even three months of rugby socials, with all of the bizarre costumes that he had worn, hadn't prepared him for this. Still, at least he wasn't in it by himself and by the time that they arrived at The White Swan, they had joined up with another thirty or so blokes wearing the same outfits as they were, making Leon feel a little better.

By the time they had reached the sixth pub, Leon was definitely feeling worse for wear. He had managed to incur a couple of fines but had managed only having to drink one dirty pint; a damn sight better than Percy who had just finished his third. By the ninth pub, it was clear to see who the seasoned members of the teams were, as the first years were visibly slowing down their drinking and they had had to pour Gareth into a taxi with a rather wary looking driver. By the eleventh, Leon couldn't really remember anything at all. He had vague memories of a three-legged race between a couple of the pubs and falling arse over tit. Well, arse over Percy actually which had been a bit more pleasant.

Despite the intention to keep the whole evening to Harborne, it hadn't worked out that way. Last orders were called at 11.30pm and, despite the enormous amount of alcohol that had already been imbibed, those still left standing (regardless of how unsteady they were) found themselves heading into the centre of town to go to a club. It was messy. Drunk as they were, they found themselves turned away from three clubs before they finally found themselves in Flares, a dodgy '70s-themed club that was willing to turn a blind eye to their drunken states. Finally, at about 3am, Leon and Percy decided to call it a night and stumbled outside to try and find a cab driver willing to take them back to their flat. Unsuccessful at first, they leant against a wall to wait, laughing at the antics of other drunken revellers on the street around them.

Leon wasn't sure how it happened, his mind hazy from all of the alcohol. All he knew was that one minute they were laughing, leaning side by side against the wall, and the next Percy was kissing him. Initially, Leon was too shocked to respond, unable to believe that it was Percy's lips pressed hotly against his own but then Percy's tongue was probing at his lips and he found himself responding without thought. And then, as quickly as it had started, it was finished as Percy hailed a cab and climbed in (admittedly with some difficulty) and Leon was left floundering at the side of the pavement, wondering what the hell had just happened.

~*~

The Christmas break had been a welcome respite for Leon. With the rugby social being held the night before the term finished and, Leon's course load meaning that he had no lectures, he had booked himself on a mid-morning train out of New Street station. He had hoped to see Percy before he left but when he emerged, there was a note on the kitchen table from Percy to say that he had an early train and hadn't wanted to wake them so Merry Christmas and he would see them all next term. Leon had been disappointed, he wasn't going to lie, but he knew from their conversations that Percy had missed his mum and was desperate to see her as he had failed to make it home to her at reading week. Even so, Leon had practically jumped every single time he got an email or text but, even though a considerable number of them were from Percy, not a single one mentioned their kiss.

So, Leon had done his best to put it out of his mind. He had gone shopping for Christmas presents, helped his mum decorate both the tree and the house and made a good start on the research for the essays that he had to do. The latter had been done with plenty of grumbling about sadistic lecturers with Morgana, Mithian and Gareth via their WhatsApp group. All in all, it was a fairly standard Christmas. He had spent New Years Eve at a party with a group of school friends complete with a midnight kiss but all that had managed to do was confirm his sole interest in Percy.

In the couple of days after New Year, Leon found himself Facebook-stalking Percy in an attempt to see what the other man had been up to. They had been messaging back and forth and Percy hadn't said that he had hooked up with anyone but you never knew. After the third time that he found himself doing it, Leon gave himself a stern talking to and went to the gym. There was absolutely no point him obsessing over Percy because it wouldn't achieve anything. In all likelihood, the kiss had been nothing more than something that had seemed like a good idea at the time and should be attributed to nothing more than imbibing a considerable amount of alcohol. The best thing he could do was wait until they got back to Birmingham and then take his cues from Percy.

Only the problem was that, once they got back to Birmingham, Percy acted as though nothing had changed. His behaviour was exactly as it had been after their heart to heart and before the kiss. Leon even started to wonder if he had actually imagined the kiss before telling himself that he was just being stupid; he may have been drunk but he hadn't been that drunk and he definitely hadn't imagined the kiss. Still, as Percy seemed determined to ignore the fact that the kiss had happened, Leon decided to do exactly the same thing. Or at least try to. Thus, they managed to fall into a routine. Uni work was obviously kept separate and with their course mates but they still had rugby training (and socialising) together, still had movie nights and ordered takeaway but Percy also started joining Leon, Morgana, Mithian and Gareth on their nights out. They experimented a bit, visiting the Nightingale and several other bars in Birmingham's Gay Village before ultimately deciding to keep DV8 as their venue of choice.

It was these nights out and the nights in just the two of them that were the hardest for Leon to deal with, although both in their different ways. Club nights were difficult as Percy was always popular; he never wanted for a dance partner or for somebody wanting to offer more. Admittedly, Leon was in exactly the same position but, he wasn't going to lie, he would much prefer it if he could dance with Percy in the same way as the strangers were able to rather than as part of a group. While club nights were evenings of wishful thinking, then nights in were pure temptation.

Once they had spoken about their orientation, it was as though there had been a shift in their relationship. Percy had become far more tactile, almost as though he had been holding back for fear that he might offend. Once he realised that he wouldn't, hugs became commonplace and, quite frankly, they were the best hugs Leon had ever been on the receiving end of. The problem was, these nights were so similar to the date nights that he had had shared with both Gwen and Geraint that it was difficult to remember that these weren't dates, they were just nights with two friends hanging out. The problem was that, as the year progressed, the temptation to lean over and kiss Percy didn't lessen, it simply increased.

~*~

By the middle of June, they had all had their final results and three of them would be moving on to second year. Will had failed the year and, as of yet, they didn't know if he was going to bother resitting in August and hopefully come back to join second year or if he would simply flunk out and not come back at all. None of them had been particularly surprised; while they had all enjoyed themselves socially, going out to club nights and bars, they hadn't gone to the same extremes that Will had and drunk to excess not to mention experimenting with drugs. They had got on with him but, if they were all honest, they were looking forward to not waking up to the smell of vomit or the sickly-sweet scent of weed that would sometimes follow him around.

Leon, Percy and Owain had all decided to live together for their second year along with a friend of Owain's from his course; a guy called Alvarr who insisted that they all call him Al. Upon the advice of some second year friends of theirs, they had started house-hunting almost as soon as they had returned from the Christmas holidays, feeling inordinately grown-up as they had done so. They had been lucky and managed to find somewhere that was actually pretty good for a student house with decent sized rooms for all of them and a distinct lack of mould in both the kitchen and the bathroom. Even better, they were only a ten minute run from the pitches for training should they be running late. They already had the keys to the new place and would be moving most of their belongings straight across before they went home for the summer.

The only problem with it being the end of term was that Leon was now faced with the prospect of ten weeks without seeing his new friends and flatmates. They had talked about trying to meet up but Leon was fairly certain that it was unlikely, at least for him. Rather than the standard summer job in a supermarket, thanks to his dad's contacts, Leon had an internship in a law firm for the summer and would be starting there for eight weeks come the beginning of July. He appreciated it, of course he did, after all this would all look good on his CV later when he started applying for jobs. Even so, he couldn't help but wish that he had time to spend with his new friends.

Then again, maybe a whole two months without seeing Percy would allow Leon to get over his crush. Or at least try. He wasn't holding his breath though, as the month long Christmas and Easter breaks had done absolutely nothing to dissipate his feelings. Then again, his crush on his flatmate had been compounded during the Christmas holidays by the fact that he and Percy had kissed on the rugby team's Christmas pub-crawl. Now, he had not only nine months of friendship to contend with but the fact that he and Percy had kissed. It all made things bloody difficult.

He couldn't help but be relieved that he had a weeks holiday before he started his internship. He, Gwen and Geraint had booked it at Christmas, wanting to ensure that they had something that guaranteed them time to spend together. Those two knew him better than anyone else and he valued their opinions; they could advise him on the best thing to do.


	2. Year Three

Leon had known that his time at the Sorbonne was going to be completely different from his time at Birmingham. For a start, while he was just studying as though it were any other year, his friends would all be working towards their finals. It was also going to be more than a little strange not going to be living with Percy, Owain and Al; his parents had saddled him with the name Alvarr, poor bloke. Instead of the house that they had lived in last year, Leon was faced with the knowledge that someone else was going to be living in his room while he lived in an apartment on the top floor of a building located between Ecole Militaire and Invalides. Yes, he was going to be living in Paris and that was amazing but he couldn’t help but wish for Selly Oak and Percy. And he'd been here less than three hours! At least he had Morgana he supposed.

Logically, Leon had known that studying abroad for a year was something that he could opt for but he had never really thought about it seriously. He had filled out the paperwork, grateful beyond relief that one of his A-levels was in French and then completely forgotten about it, caught up in lectures, coursework and rugby. Then he had found out that he was accepted by the Sorbonne and even though he was excited, he couldn’t help but try and think of excuses not to go, no matter how illogical it was. Most of the excuses revolved around Percy. Realistically, he knew that he wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to study at the Sorbonne but it had been nice to entertain the possibility.

At least he wasn't going to be by himself. While Gareth and Mithian had opted to do just a three year law degree, Morgana had also opted for the year abroad scheme and would be studying at the Sorbonne with Leon. He wasn't sure how they were going to get on living together but he was more than grateful for a friend in an unknown city. Also, at least with Morgana around, she wouldn't hesitate to tell him if he was being too pathetic and mooning over Percy too much.

The kiss that he and Percy had shared at Christmas hadn’t been the only one that they had shared during their first year. Or indeed their second. There had been several more, all of them happening when the two of them were drunk or at the very least tipsy, and none of them had ever been discussed. At least not between Leon and Percy. Leon had never worked out if that was because Percy could never remember them or if they were just mistakes that were constantly repeated. Leon himself had never spoken up because, as much as he enjoyed the kisses, he had no intention of ruining their friendship. This choice was much to the annoyance of Morgana and Mithian. Both women had been subjected to numerous venting sessions about Percy and they couldn't understand why Leon was so adamant about not saying anything. They were of the opinion that yes, it was risky talking to Percy about it but, there had to be a reason that the two of them kept kissing … there was only so many times it could happen and be labelled as a drunken mistake. Deep down, Leon knew that they were right but, even so, he didn't want to say something and ruin the friendship that he had with Percy.

The fact that the kisses kept happening didn't help though especially when the last time they had kissed was a mere three weeks ago.

Leon's intern job from the previous summer where he had been paid travel and food expenses had turned into a proper summer job with a more than respectable wage for a student. He was certainly as well off, if not better than, other students working in supermarkets or bar jobs and he was actually doing something that would be useful once he had graduated. Leon had apparently made a good impression on his boss because, when he asked for two days off towards the end of August, he was allowed to have it.

This year, with not all of them able to get a whole week off work at the same time, they had instead decided to get tickets for a music festival as they could get a couple of days off more easily. Glastonbury had been a write-off, impossible to get hold of tickets, but they had been successful at getting tickets for Reading Festival at the end of August.

There had been a decent crowd of them in the end; Leon, Percy, Gareth, Owain, Alvarr, Mithian and Morgana. Despite a few mishaps putting up the tents, they had a highly successful few days. The sun was shining, the bands were great and there was plenty of alcohol. There was also a fair amount of complaining from Morgana and Mithian about the queues for the toilets but the guys had been expecting that and just ignored them. Still, complaints aside, they took every opportunity to enjoy the time that they had together before Leon and Morgana moved to Paris.

For Leon, things came to a head on the Sunday night. They had tended to stick together for most of the weekend, Morgana and Mithian frequently sitting on Leon and Percy's shoulders to give themselves a better view. However, by the time Sunday night came around, they had started splitting up a bit more. While the rest of their group had ended up by the main stage, Leon and Percy had wanted to see one of the more obscure acts in one of the smaller venues so had headed in that direction. Even so, Leon still didn't know how, come midnight, he had ended up with his back pressed against one of the metal poles holding the tent up with Percy plastered against his front.

Leon hadn't been drinking much himself, having caned it (at least for him) on both the Friday and Saturday nights and he really didn't want to travel with a hangover, regardless of how short the train journey might be. Percy, on the other hand, had clearly been drinking a lot if the way he had been dancing earlier was anything to go by. As Percy leaned in closer, his intent clear, Leon had known that he should say something, that he should stop Percy but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He knew that this was undoubtedly going to go the way of their other kisses, going unmentioned by both of them, maybe even forgotten by Percy, and that he would inevitably regret it in a few hours, never mind the morning. Despite knowing all of this, Leon didn't pull back. If anything, he leaned forward.

As their lips met Leon couldn't help but wonder, not for the first time, what it would be like to kiss Percy when he wasn't drunk. Because Percy was a damn good kisser, even when he was drunk so it followed that he would be amazing if he were sober.

Leon could remember it all so clearly. The feel of Percy's hand in his hair, the way that he had to crane his neck those last few inches, how one of his hands was wrapped around Percy's bicep (and seriously, the things that Leon wanted to do to those biceps) and how Leon had pulled him closer by his belt loop thinking that this would be the last time it would happen for a while. He might as well enjoy it while it happened.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of the door slamming shut followed by the sound of heels clicking through the flat. He looked up as the noise stopped and wasn't entirely surprised to see Morgana leaning against the door frame, a bottle of something swinging from her hand.

“Fancy toasting to Paris?”

“Considering that we've been in Paris for less than three hours don't you think that we should maybe make our beds, buy some food, actually do some unpacking?” Despite his words, Leon was already standing up and moving towards his friend.

“Unpacking's overrated and it will be still be there in the morning. Classes don't start for a few days so we've got plenty of time.” Morgana's voice turned wheedling as she swung the bottle from side to side. “Come on, I've even pushed the boat out and got the good stuff.”

Taking the bottle from her and studying the label, Leon could see that she was telling the truth for once. They had never really skimped on alcohol when they drank, despite the fact that they were students, but Leon had been expecting a cheap bottle of prosecco at a push not a fairly decent bottle of champagne.

“We don't even have any glasses yet.”

“Did you not get the part about us being students? We can drink out of the bottle.”

“Classy Morgs, classy.”

“I don't see you complaining. Now, give me the bottle.”

(~*~)

An hour later, the bottle of champagne emptied, found them wandering along the Seine holding hands, both slightly tipsy. Leon had visited Paris on several occasions before now, for a holiday with his parents when he was a younger teenager – where he distinctly remembered visiting far too many museums for his taste – and then a weekend with Geraint and a couple of his relatives to see Harlequins play Stade Français in the final of the Heineken Cup – but visiting a city was very different to living there. Still, he was fairly certain that he was going to like it and getting away from Birmingham and his pining over Percy could only be a good thing.

Leon still couldn't believe that the Seine was just a fifteen minute walk away from their apartment. It hadn't been easy to find the place that they had. Most of the student apartments seemed to be in Montparnasse, which was closer to the university, or Montmartre but, Morgana being Morgana, meant that she didn't want them to live in the same area. When Leon had stated that he didn't care about where they lived, Morgana had taken over apartment hunting and had found them a decent-sized apartment – with bedrooms that were both big enough to mean they didn't have to climb over the bed to get from one side to the other – for the same price as some of those in the more coveted student areas. Considering that they had a tiny balcony that gave them a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, it was a considerable upgrade from their houses in Selly Oak, however nice they had been.

He looked down at Morgana when she squeezed his hand, seeing the serious look on her face; the cool September air having chased away any tipsy feelings they might have had having drunk a whole bottle of champagne between the two of them.

“What is it Morgs? You're looking awfully serious considering that not only is it our first night in Paris but we're both full of champagne as well.”

“Why did you apply for Paris, Leon? Why did you come, for what reason?”

“Morgs, why don't you ask me what you really want to ask? And don't try to pull the innocent look with me; it won't work.”

“Fine. Is Percy the real reason that you're here in Paris?”

“No, he isn't.” Leon fought the urge to squirm as Morgana's gaze raked over him. “Look, I'm not going to lie; I did think about Percy but that was only once I'd been offered the place and I was trying to think of reasons to stay.”

“Reasons to stay? You'd been offered a place at the Sorbonne? In Paris? And you wanted to stay in Selly Oak? I think there's something wrong with you.”

“Tell me about it,” Leon laughed bitterly. “So, I guess you could say that I'm here despite Percy.”

“It's alright, we'll find you a nice French boy and you'll forget all about Percy.”

“As easy as that, eh? And a nice French boy? Really, Morgana?”

“Well fine, a nice boy then. He doesn't have to be French. There have got to be enough foreign students like us here on university schemes. Trust me, you'll soon forget about Percy.”

Leon smiled, even as he wrapped an arm around Morgana's shoulders and squeezed appreciatively. “I wish I had your confidence Morgs, I really do.”

~*~

It was strange having lessons somewhere other than Birmingham but it didn't take long for Leon and Morgana to settle into a routine. That being said, until they actually settled into said routine, life was incredibly stressful. The administrative staff seemed to do everything in their own time and Leon had thought that he'd gone overkill on the number of copies he'd made of his documentation but he really hadn't. Unlike Birmingham, there wasn't a single building that housed all of the law lectures. Instead, they had to traipse to a multitude of buildings during the day and, even then, they had to apply their elbows liberally in an attempt to actually get into some of the lecture rooms. Leon didn't think he'd ever apologised quite so much in his life until he realised that that behaviour was actually expected and he felt slightly better about it. There was also the number of lectures that they had. Back home in the UK, they had always had the most lectures out of any of their friends but even that number was dwarfed by the number of lectures and seminars that they had in Paris. It wasn't unusual for them to find themselves still at university at 7.30/8.30 at night and that was even before they had visited the library!

Still, weekends belonged to them and, even though they wanted to do as well as they could academically, they made the decision early on that weekends were sanctified and nothing would be done on a weekend unless it was for pleasure. So, on weekends, they would go wandering around Paris taking advantage of the weather. Summer had lasted well into September and it was looking as though the first few weeks of October were going to be equally hot so while Paris shimmered in the hazy heat, they explored. It was on one of these exploratory trips that they met Gwaine for the first time.

Thinking that the museums would be too busy to be enjoyable with it being a Saturday, Morgana had announced that they were going to explore Montmartre, maybe visit a couple of the cafes and bars that the other Erasmus students had been raving about. Basically, the main plan was to just get away from their books as both of them agreed that it was far too early in the academic year to get surgically attached. After a pleasant morning wandering around and having stopped at one of the recommended cafes for coffee, they had stopped to buy fresh bread and cheese for lunch before finding somewhere out of the way to sit and watch the world go by.

They hadn't been sat long when their attention was caught by a busker on the other side of the road, a little bit further down from where they sat. The man, a violinist, was clearly popular as he had gathered quite the crowd, all of whom applauded enthusiastically and called out requests for whatever they wanted him to play next. There seemed to be no limit to the mans talent, no genre seemed taboo. As they listened, Leon recognised classical pieces that his mum loved, what sounded like traditional folk tunes, the Harry Potter theme tune, a bit of jazz and some old standards that brought rapturous applause from an elderly tour group. Once they finished eating, Leon and Morgana wandered over to join the crowd, catching their first real glimpse of the mystery violinist as they did so.

It was a more than pleasant surprise. The man was gorgeous and young. Leon had been half-expecting an old man, middle-aged at least, although he wasn't sure why. This man was the complete opposite. Maybe a few years older than Leon, he looked to be about the same height as Leon, maybe an inch or so shorter with a rakish grin and hair that looked as though he'd just walked out of a hair commercial. As he shamelessly flirted with members of the crowd, Leon caught an Irish accent and he couldn't help but blush as Morgana caught him admiring the rather nice arse he was presented with as the man leant over to grab a drink of water.

“Any requests from the beautiful lady?”

Leon had to suppress a yelp as the was suddenly right in front of them, Morgana reeling off the rather lengthy title of whatever it was she wanted to listen to. As the violinist played, Leon couldn't help but stare, completely captivated by the man's playing and the joy he was exuding. He found himself blushing fire-engine red when the men caught him staring and sent him a cheeky wink.

“And how about the handsome gentleman? Any requests?”

“Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns 'n' Roses.” Leon simply blurted the first song that came into his head only for his jeans to tighten at the positively filthy laugh that he got in response.

“Oh I _like_ you.”

And then the man was launching into a rendition of the classic rock tune that had Leon's jaw on the floor. He never wanted it to stop. All too soon though, it did come to an end and the man was back in front of him.

“Any other requests? No? Then can I make one myself? Drink?”

Leon was more than a little bewildered. “Umm, me?”

There was that filthy laugh again. “Yes, you.”

“But I don't even know your name...”

“I'm Gwaine Lothian and it's a delight to meet you ...”

“Oh! Er, Leon, Leon Knight.”

“Leon, Leon Knight. So, are you going to give me your phone number so I can take you out for a drink or am I going to have to serenade you until you give in? I'll even sing if it makes you cave quicker.”

Leon had blushed and stammered but had given over his phone number after some subtle encouragement to his ribs from Morgana's elbow. Even so, he had still believed it to be a joke until Gwaine had actually phoned him that evening and Leon had found himself agreeing to drinks the following Friday.

~*~

“Do you not think that this is a bit weird?” Leon looked over from his spot on the bed to where Morgana was decimating his wardrobe. The day had arrived when he was due to meet Gwaine and Morgana had decided that Leon was her newest dress-up doll. “I mean, well, you know....”

“Leon, darling Leon, why should this be awkward. We're good friends, that's all. There's also the small fact that, while you may be equally interested in tits and cock, I am far too interested in boobs to care that you have a cock.”

“Morgana!”

“What? Stop being such a prude Leon! How long have you known me?” Morgana dismissed the items that Leon had been planning on wearing with a sniff and instead pulled a few items of clothing out of his wardrobe before walking over to Leon and placing them on the bed. “Strip. I want to see what these look like. If they don’t work then I need to think of something different.”

“What? Why do I have to strip? I’m an adult Morgana; I’m more than capable of dressing myself.”

“No darling, you’re not.” Morgana patted Leon’s cheek in the same way that she would if he were a child. “If you’re going to uni then yes, you can dress yourself but for a date? Definitely not. I will admit that you are far better dressed than Gareth but your wardrobe contains far too many hideous granddad cardigans that you’re in love with. I may not be interested in men sexually but I know exactly what items of clothing you need to wear that will make Gwaine want to rip them off you again. Now stop procrastinating, strip.”

“But I'm not even sure that I want Gwaine to rip them off me,” Leon continued protesting and resisting but one particular look from Morgana had him crumbling like wet sand. It was one that was undoubtedly going to come in useful once she had qualified as a lawyer. It was the same look that usually ended up with him agreeing to go clubbing or out for another drink. Slowly, he stood and stripped off his clothing before reaching for the items that Morgana had laid out. “Where did these even come from anyway?”

“Your wardrobe. You'd be amazed at some of the clothes that you have in there if you actually bothered to look. Now come on, chop chop, otherwise you're going to be late.”

“We can't have that can we.” Leon had known Morgana for long enough that he ducked the head slap she aimed his way for the sarcastic comment. Still, he put on the rest of the clothes that Morgana had laid out for him without further complaint.

By the time Morgana retreated back to the living room and her bottle of wine almost an hour later, Leon felt as though he’d been a model or a dress-up doll for her pleasure. He’d never been primped or preened so much in his life and had found a whole new respect for people who modelled for their career. He had also been reminded of just how terrifying Morgana could be and how she ran rough-shod over everybody when in the mood. Still, he had to admit that she’d done a good job and he did look more ‘date worthy’ than he would had he been left to his own devices. Now all he had to do was get through this date successfully.

If this was actually supposed to be a date. Was this a date? Or had Gwaine just wanted them to meet as friends? Had Leon got the wrong end of the stick? After all, it had been a while since he'd tried the whole flirting thing. Then again, Morgana had seemed pretty sure that it was a date but, just because she thought it was a date didn't mean Gwaine thought it was a date. Leon just didn't have a clue anymore and he was starting to wonder if this had been a good idea. Just then a voice called out from the living room, cutting through his self-doubt.

“And don't you dare even think about standing Gwaine up. I am not afraid to drag you down there, Leon Knight. And don't think about leaving the flat and then hiding in a cafe for the next few hours; I will know if you do.”

“How the hell does she do that? Bloody women, bloody Morgana.”

“I heard that Leon Knight! Get yourself down to the Metro now otherwise you're going to be late!”

“Yes, Morgana.”

(~*~)

Leon was rather hesitant as he stood just around the corner from the bar that he'd agreed to meet Gwaine in, even though he knew he’d regret it if he turned around and walked away. He didn’t do this kind of thing ever and he didn’t know anything about the guy other than his name. He seemed nice enough but he could be a raging psychopath for all Leon knew. Why the hell was he doing this when he knew that he was still head over heels for Percy? What was the point in going out with someone when he knew that he was hung up on another guy? He turned to head back towards the metro station when he stopped. Morgana would crucify him if he went back home now; she was firmly of the opinion that dating was good for him and that he needed to do it more often. Weighing up his options, a date with a mysterious man was far better than a lecture from Morgana. Taking a deep breath, he walked round the corner to see Gwaine waiting for him at a table in the street.

“Leon! I thought you’d stood me up! What are you drinking?” Gwaine signalled for a barman to come over and take their order.

“Just a beer, please.”

Leon took a seat and listened as Gwaine ordered their drinks in flawless, barely accented French. He didn’t have a clue what he was expecting of this and he didn’t know what Gwaine was expecting either. He supposed that all he could do was enjoy himself and see what happened.

“I didn’t think you were going to turn up mate.” Once their drinks were ordered, Gwaine had settled in a lazy sprawl in one of the chairs, looking sickeningly at ease despite the slightly unusual circumstances.

“Neither did I. I was about to go home when you saw me.” Leon was perched rather uncomfortably on the edge of his seat; the complete antithesis to Gwaine. “The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I would have got a lecture from Morgana.”

“So you were going to stand me up. Mate, I’m offended! By all means, stand me up when you know me but not when you know sod all about me. And Morgana's the slightly scary-looking, dark-haired beauty right?”

“That's Morgs. We've been friends since first year. And if I don't know anything about you, why don’t you tell me about yourself then?” Leon surprised himself with the flirtatious tone of his question.

Gwaine laughed out loud and leant forward, clinking his bottle against the neck of Leon's. “With pleasure. Nothing I like better than talking about myself. I'm 23 years old from the beautiful Emerald Isle and, as you saw the other day, I'm a violinist. I graduated from the Royal Irish Academy of Music and since then, I guess you could say that I've been doing a grand tour of Europe. I'm not that great at staying in one place for too long. I did a summer in the Arena Orchestra in Verona as soon as I graduated then I went to Bucharest for a season to play with the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra. Six months in Germany with Essener Philharmoniker and then six months dossing round the Med on the cruise ships. I'm in Paris for a two year contract with Orchestre de Paris and after that, who knows. It's the perfect job for me; I have a serious case of wanderlust and this lets me travel the world doing what I love. Besides, you wouldn't believe how many people find the whole musician thing attractive. So, tell me, what's a nice English boy like you doing in Paris? Gap year?”

“No, I'm here studying. Law at I Pantheon-Sorbonne for a year. We're both studying for our law degrees at Birmingham University and got accepted on the Erasmus scheme for our third year. Once we finish here, we go back and do our fourth year before we graduate.”

“Studying law?” Gwaine let out a low whistle. “You're brave. How's your French?”

“Well, I had thought that it was pretty good but I'm starting to second guess myself. All the lecturers seem to use some kind of shorthand that they expect us all to understand. Still, there are a load of us who are on the Erasmus course and we're slowly starting to figure it out between us.”

“You'll be alright. Immersion therapy and all of that bollocks. I spoke sod all French when I arrived and I picked it up quickly enough.” “That's reassuring. I think?” “You'll be alright. Now, how much traditional French cuisine have you eaten since you arrived?”

Leon winced, “Erm, none? We haven't gone out for dinner much since we arrived, we've just been cooking at home.”

“Do you trust me to order dinner?”

Leon took a deep breath and then responded. “I'm entirely in your hands.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.”

Not knowing how to respond to the promissory tone of Gwaine's voice, not to mention the slightly lecherous grin, Leon reached for his bottle of beer to the sound of Gwaine's laughter.

By the time that they had finished their dinner, Leon couldn’t remember the last time that he had laughed so much. Or had such a stress-free, enjoyable date, at least once he'd got into it. Most of the conversation had revolved around tales from Gwaine’s travels around Europe, Leon's degree and life in Birmingham, bits of information about their families and what it was like to live in Paris. As they talked, Leon couldn’t help but wish that he could have this kind of evening with Percy. And then, of course, he felt guilty because here he was on a date with a seriously attractive man yet he was thinking about somebody else; someone that he had shared a few drunken kisses with that had never been mentioned between them. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to Gwaine, making a concerted effort to focus on him and their conversation.

It worked. Having focused on putting Percy out of his mind and focusing upon his dinner companion, Leon found himself enjoying himself. By the time they ordered their coffee, it had turned into a pleasant evening with good food, flowing conversation and lots of laughter. More than pleasant to be truthful and, once they had paid the bill and turned to leave the restaurant, Leon didn’t really want the evening to end. Unfortunately, there was nowhere else for the evening to go. They had lingered in the restaurant for such a long time that they were the last customers in and the waiters had, not very subtly, started putting the chairs up for the evening in the hopes that they would get the hint and leave. The only way that the evening could continue was if they went back to one of their respective homes and, as much as Leon liked Gwaine, he was old-fashioned and he wasn’t going to do that. At least not on a first date. Especially when he was still completely hung up on Percy.

Having said their farewells, Leon had just turned away to head towards the nearest Metro station when Gwaine reached out and caught him by the wrist, pulling him back around to face the Irishman. There was barely five seconds pause before Gwaine’s lips were on his and, even though he wanted to keep his eyes open, Leon could feel his eyes fluttering closed. It wasn’t a long kiss and it was chaste but Leon found himself comparing it to the kiss, kisses, that he had shared with Percy.

He knew that Morgana would kill him if she ever knew that, even kissing Gwaine, he was thinking about Percy. He couldn’t help it though. He had fancied Percy for over two years and he had known Gwaine for less than four days. Still, he had the distinct feeling that, if he allowed himself to stop thinking about Percy, it would be fairly easy to divert his thoughts to Gwaine. He looked at Gwaine who was still hovering very close and smiled when he saw Leon looking at him.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Classes. At least until two, then I'm free.”

“Any chance I can persuade you to do something fun?”

“I'm sure I can be persuaded...” Leon was genuinely surprising himself this evening.

“Excellent. I'll drop you a text and tell you the grand plan. Night, Leon.”

“Night, Gwaine.”

~*~

“So who's the guy? Or is it a girl?”

“What?!”

Gwaine's question came out of nowhere. They were sat on the balcony of Leon and Morgana's apartment, beers in hand having had a simple dinner of pasta cooked by Leon. Leon felt his mouth opening and closing like a guppy, somewhat confused as to why Gwaine was asking this particular question.

“Who is it? This person that you're so hung up on?”

“What makes you think that there is someone that I'm hung up on?”

“The way that you talk about your friends at home, it sounds as though you have a thing for one of them. You talk about Mithian and Percy the most but, if I had to guess, I'd say it was Percy. Am I right?”

Leon groaned and slumped down in his chair. “Fuck, I'm so sorry.”

“Don't apologise. There's nothing to apologise for. Just tell me what's going on.”

“There isn't much to tell. Percy was one of my flatmates when I first went to university. In fact, we've lived with each other for the last two years. I guess it was lust at first sight and then it became more than lust once I got to know him. Morgana would tell you that I've been pining after him for the last two years. I found out that he's into guys as well as girls by accident in our first term and he's dated both since I've known him. We've never dated but we have kissed, several times. Only problem is that we've been drinking nearly every single time and they've never been discussed. Hell, I don't even know if Percy remembers that they've happened. So, there you have it, I'm hung up on someone who thinks of me as nothing but a friend. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have agreed to go out with you.”

“Leon, you don't have anything to apologise for. You're not in a relationship. We've been on a few dates and had some very nice snogs. As far as I'm concerned, this changes nothing.”

“But...”

“But nothing. I'm not going to lie; I don't do well with commitment or labels. I'm twenty-three years old and I want a bit of fun. I'm not expecting you to fall in love with me. If you did, it'd probably terrify me. I like you a lot, I think you're ridiculously hot and I'm more than happy to keep going as we are if you are.”

“Are you sure about that?” Leon could hardly believe the turn that things had taken.

“Absolutely positive. Now, tell me about this Percy of yours...”

Taking a deep breath, that was exactly what Leon did.

~*~

Leon walked into the little bar that had become their most frequent haunt and caught sight of Gwaine tucked into one of the smaller booths towards the back, two beers sat waiting on the table in front of him. It was too cold to sit outside now but Leon couldn’t really find it within himself to complain. After all, there were several advantages to not being able to go outside. First and foremost, it was warm and cosy inside the bar which was definitely welcome after the bracing wind outside and the slightly lengthy walk from the Metro station. Secondly, with outside space being limited, there were more people crammed into the interior of the bar meaning that if you wanted to actually hear the person that you were there with you had to sit close to each other.

Not that Leon was complaining.

The close proximity to each other ramped up the flirtation between the two of them. Gwaine had been working on a show for the last couple of weeks so they hadn't actually managed to see each other in person and had instead had to resort to increasingly flirtatious text messages. Tonight, finally in each other’s company, the flirting spilled over into physical contact. As the crowd inside the bar swelled due in part to the cold weather and mostly due to the fact that it was a Saturday night, they were forced to sit together on the same side of the booth in order to allow others to take up the other seat, thighs pressed together from hip to knee. Their conversation had to be spoken into each other’s ears, lips brushing against earlobes as they did so. Gwaine’s hand rested high up on Leon’s thigh, absentmindedly trailing up and down with feather-light touches as they conversed, doing absolutely nothing for Leon’s sense of mind.

“I, uh, I’ll be back in a minute. I just need some fresh air.” Leon jumped up and grabbed his coat, hoping that his erection wasn’t as visible to everybody else as it was to him.

A little alley ran down the side of the Albert and he took refuge down there, taking deep breaths as he willed his erection away. His mind was struggling to deal with the fact that he wanted this so badly but, at the same time, he couldn't help but feel guilty that he wanted this when he professed to like Percy as much as he did. He was so focused on that that, amidst the noise of revellers wandering the streets and going in and out of the bar, he didn’t notice the door to the bar opening and Gwaine wandering out to join him.

“You alright mate? I was starting to get worried about you.”

Leon decided that it was now or never. He wasn't going to do anything with Percy so he might as well have a bit of fun with somebody that he was really starting to like. If he didn’t grasp this opportunity with both hands then he was never going to gather up the courage to do anything. He pushed himself off the wall and walked towards Gwaine, crowding him up against the opposite wall of the alley. Before he could lose his nerve, he speared a hand through Gwaine’s long locks and crashed their mouths together. Literally. Teeth and noses clashed together and Leon pulled back, feeling more than a little mortified. To his amazement, Gwaine didn’t run away screaming or piss himself laughing. Instead he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank fuck for that. If it wasn’t for the flirting I could have sworn you were a bleeding monk.”

He fisted his hands in the lapels of Leon’s coat and pulled him in for another kiss, angling his head so that there wasn’t any awkward manoeuvring this time. Leon wasn’t sure which one of them moaned first but it didn’t really matter that much. Oblivious to the fact that they could easily be caught by anybody walking past, hands gripped hips and arses as their tongues met and explored each other’s mouths, their hips grinding together. Leon growled low in his throat and bit gently on Gwaine’s lower lip as he felt his cock swell again, an answering hardness against his thigh where it was pressed up against Gwaine’s crotch. The pent up frustration after several weeks of intense flirting via various methods of communication and then an evening’s worth of teasing touches, not to mention the fact that he hadn't been with anyone – not really – since he had met Percy, didn’t take long to spill over and, before he knew it, Leon was coming in his underwear like a horny teenager with a low moan.

He had just started apologising, completely mortified, when Gwaine pulled back sporting a filthy smirk and similar evidence of his enjoyment. “Thank fuck for coats eh? Come on, we’ll grab a taxi. Your place or mine?”

“Mine. God knows what yours smells like considering you haven't been home in two weeks.”

Leon pulled Gwaine out of the alley and onto the main road, managing to flag down a taxi and give directions to his apartment before his lips were once again claimed fiercely by Gwaine’s. He was too overwhelmed by sensation to give a damn about the fact that the taxi driver was watching them with no little amusement. When they pulled up at his apartment building, Leon flung enough money at the driver to cover the cost of the journey as well as a more than generous tip, dragging Gwaine out of the taxi with him although Gwaine was by no means unwilling. There was a lot of fumbling trying to get the key in the front door, not helped at all by the fact that Gwaine was plastered against Leon’s back, practically rutting against him.

Once they were inside the flat they didn’t waste any time. They stumbled in the direction of the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind them from the front door, not caring where the items of clothing landed in their eagerness to get each other naked. Leon’s breath caught in his throat as he found himself tumbled to his own bed, pinned under a very buff and incredibly naked smirking Gwaine. The brunet then proceeded to suck Leon’s cock into his mouth and, in the process, obliterate his ability to think coherently.

(~*~)

When Leon woke up the following morning, aching pleasantly in a way that he hadn’t for a very long time, it was to an empty bed and cold sheets where Gwaine had been lying. He couldn’t hear the shower running and when he got up to check the rest of the flat it was empty. Had last night been a one night stand? He really didn't think that it had been but now he wasn't so sure. His earlier euphoria faded and he was left feeling rather depressed. Nevertheless, not really wanting to spend the entire day in his bed, he dragged himself out to the kitchen, noting as he did so that Morgana's door was firmly shut. Reaching for the cafetière to make his much needed coffee, his hand fell upon a piece of paper that had been lying on the work surface. Picking it up and opening it, a smile slowly crept back onto his face. Last night hadn’t been a shag and run for Gwaine, or that wasn’t the way it appeared although he could be mistaken. The note contained Gwaine’s explanation that he had been asked to fill in at a rehearsal for a friend who was too ill to play and would Leon like to meet later that day. Suddenly feeling much better about everything, Leon hummed to himself as he decided that the coffee could wait and he was going to run down to the boulangerie on the corner of the street and pick up pastries for breakfast. He had the feeling that he had to apologise to Morgana and what better way to start doing that than with buttery baked goods?

He couldn't help but be relieved that he'd pushed the boat out when he returned as the smell of coffee alerted him to the fact that Morgana was up. Moving straight into the kitchen, placing the large white box of pastries on the counter the minute that he walked in, he was completely unsurprised to see the knowing grin that Morgana's lips were curved into.

“So, somebody had fun last night.”

“Bite me, Morgana.”

“Didn't Gwaine do that last night? I don't remember you having any bruises on your throat when you left.”

“Are you really going to go there Morgana? Because if you are then I'm going to ask about Morgause.” Leon had tried not to pry too much but even he was intrigued about what was going on between Morgana and the blond, Scandinavian teaching assistant in one of their classes.

“Well, she does this fantastic thing with her tongue that ….”

“Okay, what do you want to know?”

“Now isn't that interesting. I thought that there was a stereotype about men getting turned on by lesbians?”

“That may be so and yeah, it can be hot but, gorgeous as you are, you're like my sister and Morgause is fucking scary.”

“I'll have to remember that. So, did you have fun last night?”

“Yeah, it was good.”

“Leon, the noises that I heard last night, 'it was good' is really underselling things.”

“Oh my fucking god ...” Leon's face felt like it was on fire.

“Yeah, I heard that one a lot last night.”

“Remind me why I'm friends with you, you harpy?”

“Because you love me. Come on, give me details ...”

“Why? You have your own sex life; you don't have to live vicariously through mine.”

“Morgause is at a conference for a week and my vibrator isn't that good.”

“Do you never get the feeling that we share too many details? Ow!” Leon hunched over as Morgana hit him round the head.

“Details!”

“Okay, okay. It was good, it was really good. Oh, who am I kidding, it was fucking fantastic. It's … been a long time and Gwaine did this thing with his tongue. And his hands...”

“Magic musicians hands?”

“Magic musician hands,” Leon confirmed.

“So are you ...”

“I'm seeing him again tonight.” Leon couldn't help but laugh at Morgana's crow of glee as she knocked their coffee cups together in some semblance of a toast.

“Come on then, eat up. This calls for a celebration. We're going out for lunch and shopping for something that'll make Gwaine want to fuck you into oblivion again.”

~*~

Having ordered his coffee and some food, Leon sat back in his chair and slid his sunglasses down from the top of his head. There was still a chill in the air as it was still only March but the sunshine was bright and he was starting to understand why the song 'I love Paris in the springtime' existed. Looking across the table, he couldn't help but smile as he saw Morgana lounging in her chair. Morgana had taken to Paris like a duck to water, fitting in with the chic Parisien women without breaking a sweat and looking as though she had lived there all her life. They had been there for six months and, although Leon loved living and studying in Paris, he still didn't feel like he belonged there. When the food and coffee arrived, he fell upon it as though he hadn't just eaten a couple of hours ago, only pausing when Morgana cleared her throat.

“Yes?”

“I didn't invite you here to just sit and watch you inhale your food. If I wanted to do that, we could have just sat at home.”

“So why did you ask me out for lunch? Why aren't we at home? What do you want to quiz me about this time?

“Percy's coming to stay on Saturday.”

“I am aware of that; I was the one that invited him.”

“And how do you feel about that? How do you feel about him? You haven't actually seen him since we moved here. Plus, you're not exactly single anymore. I mean, you've been dating Gwaine for about five months now and...”

“Well, I don't know if I'd call it dating.”

“What would you call it in that case?”

“Shagging with the occasional date? No strings attached?” Leon grinned as he managed to time his comment perfectly so that Morgana spat her mouthful of coffee all over the table.

“Leon Knight, I never thought that I would hear those words come out of your mouth. I'm so proud of you.” Sobering up, Morgana leant across the table. “Seriously though Leon, what are you going to do about Percy?”

Leon paused for a long time, not entirely sure how to answer the question. “I don't know. I don't even know how I'm going to feel about him. I haven't seem him since September, well not face to face at least. I mean, we've kept in touch via email and Facebook and WhatsApp – the same as we both have with Mithian. It's not like I haven't spoken to him for the last six months. It's tricky though. I like Gwaine, I really like him but I don't know if it will ever be more than like. Like I said, it's mostly a bit of fun, for me as well as Gwaine. I don't know. Percy is single again but I'm not single, even if it is just a bit of fun with Gwaine. At the moment, my plan is to see how things go with Percy here and then make a decision. We're only in Paris for three more months, four tops, and then we're back to Birmingham and it's all change anyway. I don't want to be that guy who's hung up on one person for years but...”

“But you're going to be that guy who's hung up on one person for years.” Morgana pursed her lips. “Okay, I'm not convinced that this is the best way forward but, who am I kidding, this is you two; I'm not entirely sure if there is a best way forward.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now, was there anything else you wanted me for today?”

“Yes. I have tickets to a new exhibition at the Jeu de Paume and Morgause can't go. Fancy escorting me?”

Leon caught the waiters eye and asked for the bill. “My lady, I'm at your service.”

~*~

When Saturday morning rolled around, Leon found himself standing amidst a surprising number of people at Gare du Nord station awaiting Percy's arrival. Percy had managed to find some deal so that he could afford the Channel Tunnel but said deal also meant that he had been on the earliest Eurostar out of St. Pancras. All of a sudden, the crowds on the platform seemed to double in size and Leon found himself having to move quickly a couple of times to avoid being hit in the head by flying bags. He was just straightening up, having ducked the flying handbag of a particularly exuberant hugger when he saw Percy moving towards him standing head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. Leon could already feel the grin splitting his face and he was met with one of Percy's bear hugs. Leon knew that, whatever he might have told Morgana, he wasn't over Percy.

It wasn't a long journey from Gare du Nord back to the flat, where Morgana was hopefully waiting with breakfast, and Percy spent the journey complaining about the number of children on the train who were off to Disneyland. Despite the sizeable height difference, children had a tendency to gravitate towards Percy and, as he was generally too nice to say no, he usually ended up surrounded by them. Leon couldn't help but laugh at some of the complaints Percy described, even if his reaction did make Percy scowl.

With the number of tourists swamping the city due to the Easter holidays, it only took two stops before the sheer number of people on the Metro meant that Leon and Percy were pressed together from shoulder to hip. Already over-thinking Percy's visit and how he felt about him having not seen him in person for six months, Leon was hyper-aware of every single movement to the point that he could have cried in relief when they got off the Metro at Invalides. Leon used the short walk to the flat to compose himself, beyond grateful that Morgana would be there to run interference as soon as they arrived. In fact, the second that they walked through the door and she was picked up in a hug from Percy, she frowned at seeing Leon. Unable to say anything in front of Percy, she opted for mouthing over his shoulder instead.

“Well?”

Leon shook his head ruefully and mouthed back, “I'm fucked.”

Leon had been right in his assessment; he was well and truly fucked and it became harder and harder to deal with as the week progressed. Unlike Leon, Percy had never visited Paris before, in fact he'd never really done much travelling outside of the UK before. In eager anticipation, it seemed as though he had swallowed a guidebook and, in the process, compiled a list of all the places in Paris that he wanted to see. Not that Leon was complaining too much. He may have seen the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and the Arc d'Triomphe a hundred times before but he had no real objections to seeing them again. The problem Leon had was that he was in reputedly one of the most romantic cities in the world with one of his best friends who he just happened to be pretty much in love with and it felt like they were on a series of dates yet, for all intents and purposes, Leon was already dating someone else.

Not for the first time, Leon found himself wishing that Gwaine hadn't been quite so vehement about not labelling what the two of them had. It had seemed such a good idea at the time, not labelling anything and it had worked wonderfully for both of them until now; Leon had been more than happy with Gwaine and hadn't looked at anybody else while Gwaine hadn't felt overwhelmed by the prospect of commitment. The problem was that, despite his loyalty to Gwaine, having something concrete, something definite would have removed some of the temptation where Percy was concerned. It was all far too bloody complicated.

Over the last six months, he and Gwaine had spent a lot of their 'dates' wandering around the city revisiting places that Leon had visited when he was younger and also a whole host of obscure places that Gwaine had discovered. As well as crossing off all of the places on Percy's list, Leon found himself taking Percy to as many of the places that Gwaine had introduced him to as he could; small cafes and bars, local restaurants and pretty little back streets.

When Morgana didn't join them, the days and evenings spent meandering around Paris were too similar to the 'dates' that Leon spent with Gwaine and it was then that the edges started to blur a little too much for Leon. It would be so easy for Leon to reach out a hand and take Percy's, so easy to tangle their fingers together, for their hugs to become something more, too easy to lean over and kiss Percy. The biggest temptation came on the fourth night of Percy's visit.

Unsurprisingly, one of the places on Percy's list of places to visit had been the Moulin Rouge. The exorbitant ticket prices had meant that they couldn't actually go and see a show at the famous venue so, as a compromise, Leon had suggested that they instead head into the Pigalle district so that Percy could at least see the windmill lit up. They had arrived a bit too early before any of the lights were really on so had instead taken the opportunity to go up butte Montmatre to Sacre Coeur, somewhere that was on Percy's list but they hadn't managed to make it to.

It had been dusk when they had arrived but with their leisurely pace and the fact that Percy seemed to stop to take photos every thirty seconds, it was significantly darker by the time that they reached the basilica. It was a clear night and the whole of Paris was laid out in front of them, lit up in the darkening sky but Leon wasn't looking at that, regardless of how magical it looked. Instead, Leon's eyes were fixed on Percy's face and the look of wonder and delight there, the desire to kiss him almost overwhelming.

(~*~)

Things didn't get any better as the visit progressed. It was practically torture having Percy in Paris, taking him round the sights and generally just spending time with him. Despite his relationship or whatever it was with Gwaine, Leon had still thought of Percy a lot over the last six months. However, he had also wondered if he was romanticising his relationship with Percy or even Percy himself. The realisation that he really hadn't was almost too much for him to cope with. The problem was, along with this realisation came a tidal wave of guilt. By tacit agreement, Gwaine had stayed away for the week, wanting to give Leon time to spend with Percy but they were due to have dinner the night that Percy left.

Having left Leon to greet Percy by himself, Morgana came to Gare du Nord to see him off. Leon stood back as Percy wrapped Morgana in a hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around in a circle. For her part, Morgana simply wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed in delight before giving him one last squeeze and pecking him on the cheek. And then it was Leon's turn. He stepped forward into Percy's space, arms wrapping around Percy's shoulders as he felt Percy's go round him in turn and resisted the urge to take a deep breath in to imprint Percy's scent. Reluctantly, he pulled away before he became too overcome with the urge to cling, patting Percy on the back several times as he did so.

“It's been good to see you, thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for putting me up and playing tour guide. It's been good to see you too. I've missed you this year; it hasn't been the same without you.”

“I've missed you too. You should go; you don't want to miss your train.” Leon blurted out in an attempt to stop himself from saying something stupid. “Sorry. Look, we'll be back in a few months yeah? We'll meet up again then. It'll be a lot easier without the Channel in between us.”

Leon was grateful beyond words when Morgana stepped up to them because it stopped him from talking such bullshit.

“You need to get going Percy. That was the call for final boarding.”

There was another round of hugs and the two of them stood on the platform waiting until Percy disappeared from sight.

“Well?”

“I need alcohol. Lots of alcohol.”


	3. Year Five

Leon paid the deliveryman and took the bag full of takeaway into the living room, having made a detour into the kitchen for chopsticks and another bottle of beer. He was taking advantage of being home reasonably early and Percy being out on a date to catch up with some reading that had been hanging over him for weeks. It seemed as though he hadn't been home this early in weeks and when he was, he hardly ever seemed to be home at the same time as Percy.

He and Percy had moved in together once Leon had graduated and moved back to London to join the Inns of Court. Leon could have moved back in with his parents – it would have made things considerably cheaper and he wouldn't have had to deal with the property market in London – but after four years of freedom he couldn't envisage it. So, when Percy had announced that he had been accepted onto the Teach First program at a school in Stratford, it had been perfect and, masochist that he was, Leon had jumped at the chance to live with Percy again.

For the most part, it worked well. Both of them worked long hours and, if they weren't staying late at work then they brought it home with them, working in silence at the kitchen table with stacks of papers separating them. It seemed like there wasn't time for anything else. Leon hadn't played for a rugby team since he had come back from Paris and dating certainly hadn't happened; hell, he'd barely had time to go to the gym during his fourth year. He probably had the wrong type of life balance to be honest. After all, Percy seemed to have it all sorted. He worked just as hard as Leon but somehow he still had time to go to the pub regularly with his colleagues and even date, which was certainly a hell of a lot more than Leon managed. Then again, Percy wasn't hung up on his flat-mate like Leon was and had been for the last four years.

Leon had hoped that his crush would have alleviated somewhat given the fact that he had spent a year in Paris and had a relationship with Gwaine before having a year not living with Percy but no, it hadn't made the slightest bit of difference. He was still as crazy about Percy as he had been as a first year. Turning to his work, he put all thoughts of Percy out of his mind so that he could do something productive. He was mostly successful, becoming engrossed in his work for several hours until his concentration was broken by the sound of keys in the front door, several hours earlier than he was expecting.

“Percy? You're home early. Everything okay?”

“I'm just going to get changed and grab a beer.”

Knowing that he wasn't going to get any more reading done that evening, Leon started to close his books and stack his notes in preparation for Percy's appearance.

The second that Percy walked in the door, now dressed in a t-shirt and a well-worn pair of sweatpants with an already started bottle of beer in one hand and several other bottles in his other, Leon knew that the date hadn't gone well and that, in all likelihood, Percy had been dumped by the latest boyfriend. This guy had seemed perfectly nice; Percy had met him on Grindr and Leon had gone out with them both for a drink one night. He was called Elyan and worked in the London Bridge building of PWC. Even though he liked the man, Leon couldn’t help but be a bit jealous simply because this guy was dating the man that Leon wanted to be dating. Still, he seemed to really like Percy and Percy really liked him so Leon was going to do his best to be happy for them.

Not that Percy had huge amounts of time in which to actually date. He supposed that that was because Percy was doing Teach First. He had heard that it was one of the most demanding teacher training programs that existed and, having seen the amount of work that Percy put in, Leon was inclined to believe the hearsay. Sometimes they could go three or four days without seeing each other, occasionally bumping into each other outside the bathroom or very briefly in the kitchen as they poured themselves travel mugs of coffee. Leon had seen even less of Percy since he had been dating Elyan as what few nights Percy wasn't working on things for school, he was on dates. Leon had to admit that he wasn't surprised that it hadn’t lasted though. None of Percy’s relationships ever lasted long; there was usually a cut-off point around the three week/one month mark where the man or woman in question would dump Percy.

It had confused Leon all the way through uni because he couldn't understand why anybody would have any reason to dump Percy of all people because he was genuinely one of the loveliest men that Leon had ever met. Hell, it still confused him now. Considering some of the complete twats that managed to get girlfriends/boyfriends, he couldn’t understand why Percy was incapable of keeping somebody. Maybe he had some big, dark secret that Leon didn't know about. Still, at least he was doing better than Leon. Then again, it seemed as though everybody was doing better than Leon at the whole dating thing.

It was rather mortifying actually.

He hadn't always been this useless at the dating game. He'd never really been a one-night stand kind of guy and every relationship that he'd been in had been long term. His longest relationship to date had been Geraint and that was an embarrassingly long time ago now. Unless you counted Gwaine, which Leon didn't, considering how vehemently Gwaine had avoided labelling what they had. Hell, he hadn't dated at all during his final year at Birmingham unless you counted the couple of dates that he went on with Freya which he really didn't. She had been a lovely girl but had been so shy and/or nervous that she had barely said a word to him. Not exactly the best thing. Things had got much better when they weren't trying to date; she could at least look at him without turning so red he was afraid she might combust.

Then again, he supposed that he would be more inclined to date if a) he wasn't still so hung up on Percy and b) if he hadn't spent the better part of a year basically dating Gwaine, for want of a better way to describe it. He wasn't going to lie, it would have been far easier if he could have fallen for Gwaine instead and, right up until the point where Percy visited, he was fairly certain that he could have fallen for Gwaine. Yes, the fact that he was in Paris had probably contributed something to that feeling but he had still had it. He didn't have a clue if he and Gwaine would have worked out once Leon had left Paris to return to Birmingham and complete his degree while Gwaine stayed in Paris to finish his contract but he guessed that everyone had that person who was their 'what if it had worked out'.

Leon winced as Percy drained his first bottle and started on the second. “Sooo … the date didn't go too well then?”

“What do you think?” Percy scowled, genuinely scowled. “Of course it didn't bloody go well. I got dumped but I have a feeling that you knew that already. Beer isn't going to work, I need something stronger.”

This wasn't going to end well. Not in the slightest. Leon spared a quick glance at the clock as Percy returned with the bottle of vodka that they kept in the freezer and just knew that the following day was going to be a write-off. It took nearly a quarter of a bottle of the vodka before Percy started talking and as soon as he started, Leon knew that a whole load of stuff was going to come tumbling out. He knew that one of them had to try and remain sensible so although he allowed Percy to keep pouring him vodka, he slowed down on drinking it.

“I'm not a bad boyfriend, you know. They don't dump me because I'm a bad boyfriend.”

“I never thought that they did, Perce.”

“Well don't you want to know why they dump me?”

Internally, Leon was screaming yes and he fought to keep his voice steady. “If you want to tell me and you want to talk about it then I'm happy to listen but don't feel that you have to tell me.” He winced as Percy slammed back yet another shot.

“Well I need to talk to someone and you're my best friend so you draw the short straw.” Percy leaned in closer to whisper, even though it was just the two of them. “They dump me because they're not happy in the bedroom.”

“What?” The word slipped out before Leon really had a chance to think about it.

“Yup. They're not happy with the sex we're having. Or not having.”

Leon's brain was boggling. Was he honestly hearing this right? Surely not. And then Percy carried on talking after yet another shot.

“It's my cock. They keep dumping me because my cock's too big. Can you believe it?”

Leon swallowed heavily. That really hadn't been the reason he had been expecting. His own traitorous cock gave an interested twitch as Percy carried on talking, giving the problem that each of his ex's had had with his cock. Leon couldn't help but feel guilty as he found himself wondering how big was too big and thinking back to all of the sex that he had had with Gwaine, who had also been pretty well-endowed. All of the sex that he had thoroughly enjoyed. He focused his attention entirely on Percy again as the other man managed to send half the things on the coffee table flying as he attempted to pour himself more vodka.

“I mean, what is the point of having such a big cock if the only action I get is with my own hand? I might as well be ce-cel-celibate. Oh fuck it!” There was a crash as the remains of the vodka spilt on the floor and Percy wobbled to his feet. “Might as well go to bed then. Night mate, thanks for listening.”

“Night Perce.” Leon waited until he heard Percy's bedroom door close before he made for his own bedroom, taking his cock in hand the second that the door shut behind him. His mind replayed everything that he had just heard, adjusting his mental image of Percy accordingly.

(~*~)

The morning after Percy's big revelation, in all sense of the word, Leon phoned Morgana for a crisis meeting. He would have phoned Gwen but he had the feeling that he was going to be in need of the brutal honesty that only Morgana could dispense. He had had a rubbish nights sleep, a combination of alcohol and Percy's words had kept him awake more than he was asleep and when he had got up, Percy was still asleep, his snoring clearly audible. Leon had panicked momentarily that he should wake him up but then remembered that the git was on half-term and thus didn't actually have to go to work. All in all, it had been a rubbish day and the last thing he wanted to do when he finally finished was to go to some ridiculously trendy bar that Morgana had suggested in Shoreditch but given that he did actually need her, he had no real choice. By the time that he arrived, the place was already busy, filled with businessmen and all of the tables and booths were full but he wasn't surprised to see Morgana in a secluded booth, two drinks on the table in front of her. Picking his way through the crowd, he dropped a kiss to her cheek and slipped into the booth opposite her, taking a large gulp of his drink as he did so.

“Thanks for that Morgs.”

Morgana made a moue of disgust at the nickname. “Why do I let you call me that horrible name again?”

“Because I've seen you sat in your kitchen in halls wrapped in a blanket with the hangover from hell after a night at DV8. And I've got the photographic evidence to prove it.”

“Ah yes, that would be why, you bastard.” Morgana grimaced before taking a sip of her martini. “Now, you look like shit so are you going to tell me what your little crisis is about?”

“Elyan dumped Percy last night.”

“Ah, he's lasted longer than most of them hasn't he? Hasn't it been two months this time?”

Leon gave a morose nod at that which had Morgana leaning forward, giving Leon a generous view of the ample cleavage that was on display. If he wasn't so hung up on Percy he would have thoroughly appreciated the view.

“So what's the problem? Leon darling, I love you dearly, but this has been going on for years. How is this one at all different to the multitude of people who have dumped him in the past?”

“I found out why they've been dumping him.”

“You have? Now isn't that interesting. Wait here five minutes while I go and get more alcohol.”

While Morgana was at the bar, Leon pulled out his phone to give him something to do, inexplicably disappointed when he found no messages from Percy. He looked up at the clink of glasses being set down to see Morgana's red lips curved up in a smile.

“The nice boy at the bar has let me set up a tab. He'll bring more drinks over if we need them. Now, spill.”

Leon took a fortifying gulp of his gin and tonic before speaking quickly so that he didn't lose his nerve. “They always end up splitting because well, um, er, Percy's apparently in proportion.” Blushing furiously, Leon drained his first G&T and reached for the second.

Morgana looked blank for several seconds as she processed Leon's words and then burst out into laughter that sounded disturbingly like a cackle. “No way?! They all dumped him because he's hung like a horse? I thought that that was what every straight girl and gay guy wanted – someone with a big cock? Especially if they know how to use it.”

Fortified by gin, Leon's words came slightly easier although he knew that he was still blushing. “Apparently not. Or Percy's too big. Kara couldn't take him comfortably, Kay refused to have sex with him at all, Elyan didn't want a relationship without penetrative sex or a relationship where one of them exclusively bottomed and Val...”

“Valiant was a dick and that's all there is to it. Okay, so Percy's got a massive cock. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

"What do you mean 'what am I going to do about it'?”

“Leon, darling Leon, you have been pining after Percy for four years now and it's getting rather sad. It's also getting rather tedious. You need to do something about it. Either you forget all about Percy as something other than your friend and flatmate and move onto someone else – this is London after all, there has to be someone who could take your fancy.”

“Or?”

“Or do something about it. You have information now so use it. Or do you not want a go on Percy's monster cock?” Morgana waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“ _Morgana!_ ” Leon hissed as Morgana burst into peals of laughter, checking that no-one had overheard their conversation.

“Stop acting like a prissy little virgin, Leon. I know you're not a prude. Don't forget, I lived with you in Paris and I know exactly how often you and Gwaine shagged.”

Leon dropped his head to the table, not even moving when Morgana's long fingernails scratched through his hair.

“Look, Percy obviously feels very strongly about this if it has caused the breakup of numerous relationships. This is your chance to experiment Leon.”

“Experiment?” Leon was almost afraid to ask.

“It's been a while since you've had a boyfriend or even sex for that matter I'm guessing and Percy's admitted he isn't small. If it has broken so many of his relationships, it could destroy yours so experiment to see if it could be a problem. Buy yourself some toys, have some fun.”

Leon downed his remaining gin as Morgana cackled again. He was starting to regret asking Morgana now, even if he could see the logic in her advice.

He was going to need so much more alcohol to cope with this.

~*~

Leon didn’t think that he had ever been quite this embarrassed walking into a shop before, but doing this shopping in person was the only option that he had. Morgana, in an attempt to be “helpful” had taken to sending him links to articles, forums and message boards on gay websites not to mention copious links to websites that sold sex toys, several of which had made him slam the lid down on his laptop in shock. He couldn’t order anything off the internet because he lived with Percy and as discreet as these online companies selling sex promised that they were, Percy was always curious and Leon was crap at lying. Not to mention the fact that neither of them was ever really home a lot which meant that any parcels that arrived were left with the old lady who lived next door. Alice was an absolute sweetheart and she would never know what was inside the parcel but Leon still felt weird at the thought of it. He had been thinking about this ever since Percy’s revelation the previous week as to just why Elyan and all of his other previous boyfriends and girlfriends had dumped him. It certainly made a bit more sense though as, taking Percy's looks and personality into account, Leon had been totally baffled as to why he couldn't maintain a relationship.

Leon had been more than a little shocked to discover that the reason that Percy kept getting dumped was because he was so well-hung that his partners were always intimidated. Oh a few of them had tried to take his cock but, if they had succeeded, they had complained that it hurt too much and they weren't interested in exploring any other options. The revelation had surprised Leon but it had also turned him on more than he had expected. Percy, normally a rather quiet and soft-spoken man, became rather loquacious when he had drunk enough and had been more than forthcoming with details.

Far more details than Leon had been expecting.

When he had first realised that he was attracted to men on that rugby camp all those years ago, Leon had made a promise to himself that he would do his best to not ogle any of his teammates. He didn't want to cause any friction or make any of his teammates uncomfortable and, for the most part, he had managed that. Oh, it was impossible to avoid seeing his team-mates partially unclothed or naked – after all, they not only shared a changing room but, depending on the club, baths and showers as well - but he never stared, regardless of how attractive he found any of them. Besides, where Percy was concerned, the man wandered around their flat shirtless enough that Leon was more than able to get his fill. Still, not wanting to make Percy uncomfortable and not wanting to make things harder for himself, he had tried not to gawp too much.

As a result, Leon had found himself shifting uncomfortably at the in-depth description of just how big Percy's cock was and the problems that he had found. Much to his relief, despite his drunken state, Percy had managed to stop short of dropping his trousers and pants to demonstrate. That hadn't stopped Leon imagining it though.

Leon had done a lot of internet research since Percy’s revelation, not to mention watched a lot of porn, using the safety of his bedroom and only researching at times when he was positive that Percy wouldn’t walk in on him. He had even obsessively deleted his internet history but taken care to leave enough that Percy wouldn’t be suspicious if he saw it. It wasn’t usual for them to use each other’s laptops but it did happen on occasions so he would rather be safe than sorry. Satisfied that he had all of the information that he needed to make an educated decision about sex toys at least, he had decided to make the trip tonight after work, knowing that Percy would be late at school because of parent’s evening.

He'd been out in Soho numerous times – they all had, given the buzzing and vibrant neighbourhood of bars and clubs. The Rupert Street Bar was a favourite of them all given the ridiculously attractive barmen whose work uniform seemed to consist of trousers and no shirt, not to mention G-A-Y where they had spent many a night dancing to horrendously bad pop music. He had never ventured into any of the shops before though, not really. He had done as much research as he could though, wanting to get things sorted as quickly as possible, and had narrowed down his options to two places; CZ Soho and Fifty and Dean.

He went for Fifty and Dean first, simply for the reason that it was closest to him at the time. He'd walked past it probably hundreds of times before but had never really felt the urge to go in. As he walked in he noticed that there weren't too many other customers and he couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing; too many people and he'd probably freak out but with the small number of other customers, he was a little bit paranoid that the shop assistants were watching his every move. Scanning around the first floor he couldn't see much beyond some rather uncomfortable looking PVC underwear and colour-coded items that had so many straps and buckles he wasn't entirely sure what they were. There were a few more “normal” items like jumpers and jackets but 90% of the stock seemed to be clubbing and fetish wear; things that Leon had no interest in whatsoever. Resisting the urge to scan around and check if he was being watched or not, he made his way down to the second floor where all of the toys were kept. He managed all of about five minutes before he was so genuinely terrified by some of the items on display that he made for the stairs, and the exit, as quickly as possible.

Deciding to try CZ before he chickened out, he crossed the street and headed there, feeling as though his face was burning from some of the rubber and leather items that he had just seen. From first appearances, this one wasn't quite as terrifying – at least it seemed to be more aimed at the general gay market rather than those solely interested in rubber and leather – but he had only made it just inside the door so far. By the time that he made it downstairs, things looked as though they were promising. There were slightly more customers than there had been in Fifty and Dean so he didn't feel as though he was the focus of the shop assistants. He had actually managed to get as far as picking something up to take a closer look at the information on the box when he felt a distinct pinch to his bum. Spinning around, he saw a guy, easily a good fifteen years older than him, staring at him with a leer on his face.

“Hello gorgeous. What's a pretty thing like you doing in here all by yourself?”

He panicked. Not knowing what to do, how to respond to the guy at all he did the next best thing. He legged it.

Making a dash for Piccadilly Circus, Leon couldn't help but feel as though every single person that he walked past knew what he'd been shopping for and was subsequently judging him. He would just think of another way to do his shopping. Surely there had to be another option.

(~*~)

Leon walked into the bar, eyes scanning the room for Morgana, finding her holding court at the bar. He'd come out of a meeting to find a voicemail waiting from her that simply said 'I've got a present for you' along with a time and a place. Rolling his eyes at the message, he had mentally cancelled the gym session that he had been planning and looked up the place that Morgana wanted to meet him at. Moving towards the bar, he pecked Morgana on the cheek and, signalling one of the bar staff, ordered a drink for himself as well as another drink for Morgana.

Not having a clue what his present might be, as soon as Morgana had stopped flirting, he guided them towards a booth that was hidden from as many of the other patrons as possible. He had been on the receiving end of Morgana's presents before and he was more than a little wary about being given one in public.

“So, are you going to tell me what I've done to deserve a present? It's not my birthday and I can't think of anything else that would require rewarding.”

“Well, considering your disastrous attempt in Soho the other week and the fact that you refuse to get anything delivered to the house, I decided to take over for you.”

“Morgana, tell me you didn't...” Leon was seriously regretting his almost compulsive need to tell her everything.

Morgana produced a rather large gift bag that contained a large and beautifully but subtly wrapped box. “Don't open it now but you should be able to have a little fun. I got you a selection from the things that you'd been looking at.” Leon choked on his gin. “I'm sorry? The things that I'd been looking at?

"How do you know what I was looking at?”

Morgana simply waved one perfectly manicured hand dismissively. “You need to find a new password. The one you have now is simply too obvious to people who know you and you should really remember to clear your internet history quicker if you don't want people to know what you've been looking at.”

Leon resisted the urge to slam his head into the table multiple times, preferably until he knocked himself out and no longer had to listen to this. “Do I even want to know when you were snooping on my laptop?”

“It was last week when we all came round for dinner. You were mooning over Percy as usual and Mithian distracted everybody else with that story of what happened in her chambers.”

“Did you ever stop to think that you're far too invested in my life? I mean, most friends would stop before they got to the point where they were buying sex toys for their friends. Do you have no boundaries?”

“Well maybe if you hadn't spent such a long time mooning over Percy then maybe I wouldn't have to be so invested in your life. Maybe if you would just stop being so bloody ridiculous, then you could be getting shagged regularly by the wonderful Percy and his monster cock and I wouldn't have to buy you sex toys.”

“Can you stop saying the words sex toys so bloody loudly please? We're in a public place and not all of us have got no shame whatsoever.”

“You love me really.” Morgana smiled smugly as she leant back against the booth, taking a sip of her martini.

“I'm starting to wonder why,” Leon grumbled in return although he did signal for another round of drinks. He was going to need a serious amount of alcohol to even open the box when he got home. Unfortunately, needing too much alcohol and Morgana's actions seemed to go hand in hand. Thank god it was a Friday.

(~*~)

In the end, the box sat in a corner of Leon's room undisturbed for several days, Leon side-eyeing it every single time that he saw it. Of all the things that he had ever thought to receive as a gift, sex toys had most definitely not been on the list. Clearly every time he thought Morgana could go no further, he would have to rethink things because apparently she had no boundaries whatsoever. The problem was, the longer that the box sat there unopened, the more curious Leon became. Sure, there was part of him that was terrified to open it but a slightly bigger part of him was more curious.

Sex toys had never really played a part in his sex life; he had been more than content with it the way that it was. His time with Gwaine had changed that somewhat. Gwaine had been all about experimentation and had quite the collection of toys that he had happily introduced Leon to. Still, as pleasurable as that had been – and it really had been – it still hadn't sent Leon rushing out to the nearest stockists. And then, of course, he had tried doing precisely that and it had been a disaster. So, he supposed that at least Morgana had taken the mortification of shopping for all of this away for him.

Finally, he opened it after boosting his courage with several gin and tonics that were considerably more gin than tonic. Percy was out on a night out with colleagues from work and seeing as he wasn't expected back until the morning, Leon felt safe enough that he wasn't going to have a flatmate bursting into his room at an awkward point. Taking a deep breath, he retrieved the box and placed it on his bed before just throwing off the lid before he lost his courage. As soon as the contents of the box were on show, Leon's brain simply boggled. He definitely didn't want to know how much Morgana had spent on this box because it was simply jammed full of just about every type of sex toy that Leon had ever looked at. There was a selection of dildos and butt plugs in a variety of sizes and girths, anal beads, cock rings, more flavoured lubricants than Leon knew existed and the requisite sex toy cleaners. There was also an item that Leon picked up and then buried at the bottom of the box, not knowing what it was and, if he were truly honest with himself, not entirely sure that he wanted to know what it was.

Instead, he went for one of the most familiar and least intimidating items in the box; one of the dildos. Using it by himself felt a little strange, having only really used toys when he had been with Gwaine but this wasn't completely unknown territory. Even though the lights were mostly out and there was absolutely no audience, Leon couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed as he slicked his fingers and slowly started to finger himself. When he felt ready, he abandoned using his fingers in favour of the toy and was hugely relieved that he had the flat to himself when he couldn't hold back the loud moan that escaped him at the sensations it produced. Even though he tried to keep a steady pace it didn't work and, as he increased the speed that he was thrusting the dildo inside him, he reached down with his free hand to take his cock in hand.

In the end, it was combining the mental image of Percy with what he had confessed to Leon that tipped Leon over the edge into the most explosive orgasm that he had had in years. He felt so wrung out that he couldn't even be bothered to get up and venture to the bathroom to clean himself properly. Instead, he fumbled around with his hand on the floor until he could grab his t-shirt and clean himself up as best as he could. He then proceeded to fall into the deepest sleep he had had for a long time. The following morning Leon went online and found a florist, ordering Morgana a huge bunch of her favourite flowers to be delivered to her office with a simple note attached.

_'Thank you, L x'_

~*~

After his break-up with Elyan, Percy seemed to give up on dating for a while and, if he was being truly honest, Leon was highly delighted by that fact, particularly as it meant that Percy was spending more time at home. With Percy being around more often in the evenings, Leon started making a bit more of an effort to get home at a reasonable hour. Not having to hide at the office in an attempt to avoid Percy getting ready for a date, Leon found himself taking work home instead and sitting on the sofa doing it while Percy did his own marking, whatever rugby they could find on the TV playing in the background while the number of gym visits that they made together picked up again.

And then came the Easter holidays.

He hated to say it, but it was almost like they were dating. Only, without any of the physical elements of a relationship. It was like that week back in Paris. There were hugs aplenty as there always had been, both of them being men that didn't shy away from being affectionate towards their friends but none of the physical affection that Leon actually wanted. Still, even so, it was easy enough for Leon to imagine that they were dating and he was embarrassed to admit the number of times that he had done precisely that. He did wonder if he was becoming a bit too dependent on Percy, a bit too dependent on the life that they had while he was single. He certainly knew that Morgana and Mithian were worried about exactly the same thing. The problem was, even though he knew that he should try and wean himself off whatever this was but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it.

And then it all came crashing down not too long after school had resumed after the holidays. Truthfully, Leon supposed that he had got a bit too comfortable with everything but he had been very happy living in his little bubble and hadn't thought about it too much. Or at least he had tried not to, sticking his head in the sand in his very best ostrich impression. He had finished work early for once so, knowing that the Challenge Cup was on BT Sport, had swung by their favourite takeaway to pick up dinner and a case of beer as well. He barely had the front door open before he was calling out.

“Percy? You in? I brought food and beer; I thought we could watch the rugby.” Leon's face fell as, on his way into the kitchen, he ran into Percy coming out of his bedroom looking far too over-dressed for an evening spent in front of the television.

“Sorry mate, you should have texted. I've got a date. We both swiped right, you know how it works.”

Leon just shrugged. He didn't get the appeal of these dating apps like Grindr and Tinder. He'd tried them both briefly but, where as Percy used them consistently, Leon had given up pretty quickly. “No worries.”

“Shit, I hadn't realised the time. I'd better go otherwise I'll be late. Have a good night mate. See you later!”

“Yeah, bye.” Leon's words were simply greeted by the sound of the front door closing. Throwing both the takeaway and the beer in the fridge, he pulled out his phone, dialling the first number in the logs.

“Morgs? You busy tonight? Percy's got a date...”

~*~

Morgana had been less sympathetic than she usually was and so Leon had spent the night in eating far more takeaway and drinking far more beer than he should have done while he watched documentaries on the History Channel. Thinking about Morgana, Leon supposed that, quite fairly, after five years, her patience was starting to wane. He couldn't really fault her. After all, in five years, he hadn't really made any efforts to get over Percy other than Gwaine and seeing as Percy now had the lovely Elena, Leon was determined to make one last go at it. If this failed, he might as well see if his time at the Sorbonne meant that he could practice law in France. He obviously wasn't going to be able to keep going and crying on Morgana's shoulder so another option was needed and, given the amount of time that he spent at work, somebody from the Inns was the most likely choice. At least for someone new to try and date.

There were plenty of attractive men and women working there but there was one in particular that Leon was thinking about; Arthur Pendragon. The blond haired, blue eyed year-mate of Leon's was regarded as a bit of a god by all of the female secretarial staff and was always a hit with bar staff of both persuasions when they went out drinking after work. Arthur had always flirted back with anybody who showed interest in him, regardless of their gender, so Leon was fairly confident that Leon being a man wouldn't be an issue. He just hoped that it wouldn't be a problem for their friendship. The two of them had hit it off early on, joining the Inns at the same time and would often go for lunch or to the gym in their lunch breaks as well as for the occasional after work drink.

Arthur had had a similar upbringing to Leon but, where Leon had refused to do as his father wanted and follow in his footsteps, Arthur had done precisely that. He had gone to Harrow as a teenager and then followed his father up to Cambridge, attending the same college and doing the same degree as his father and grandfather before him. Despite all of that, Arthur was nothing like the posh little tossers that all of the sons of Leon's fathers acquaintances seemed to be, something that had been an immense relief. They had gotten on incredibly well from the off and Leon would be lying if he said that he didn't find Arthur attractive. He was very different in looks to both Percy and Gwaine but attractive nonetheless.

It took Leon two days to build up the courage to broach the subject of a drink with Arthur so, by the time he finally felt as though he could say something without stammering like a nervous teenager, it was Friday – the night that they all normally went out for a drink anyway. Even so, he was determined to still ask Arthur out and so, as soon as he arrived in the building on the Friday morning, he stuck his head into the minuscule office – identical to Leon's own, knowing that Arthur got in as early, if not earlier than, Leon.

“Arthur? You busy?”

“Not yet. Trying to put off starting things for as long as possible.” Arthur gave a bright grin that had Leon swallowing heavily. “What can I do for you?”

“I was just wondering if you fancied going for a drink tonight?”

“Yeah sure. Are we going to the Yorke as usual?”

Leon gulped, hoping that it hadn't been too audible. The Cittie of Yorke was an old-fashioned pub that they were all fond of and it was their pub of choice after work due to its relatively close proximity to the Inns. “Well, I assume that everyone is but, um, well, I was thinking more like just the two of us? You know, as an, um, well as a date.”

The words having rushed out of him like verbal diarrhoea, Leon resisted the urge to run away immediately and instead stood his ground, although he did close his eyes temporarily. This was all so much harder than he remembered it being. Then again, he hadn't actually asked anyone out in years, not really. He just really hoped that he hadn't just fucked everything up with Arthur.

“Oh, okay! Not what I was expecting but yeah, sure. I'd love to. Did you have anything in mind?”

Leon practically had to hold onto the door frame to stop his knees from buckling in relief. “How about the Black Friar? I know it's a bit of a walk but it would give us a bit of privacy.”

“Sounds like a plan. Shall we head over about six-thirty?”

“Sounds good. You still up for the gym at lunch?”

“Of course. I'll knock on your door when I'm ready to head out.”

(~*~)

By the time six-thirty had arrived and they were both ready to leave the office, Leon's stomach felt as though it was crawling with all manner of insects to make him as unsettled as possible. He had managed to not think of the looming dread too much during the day thanks to the amount of work he had and, to his relief, the lunch hour gym session with Arthur had been exactly as it always was so he hadn't felt too worried. Now though, now that they were actually on their way, all of his nerves were coming back full force.

He needn't have worried.

It had been the most relaxed date he had been on since he had started seeing Gwaine. He supposed that it helped that he and Arthur had been friends before this and it was easy enough for them to carry on a conversation. They started off discussing the Inns and the people that worked there before they moved on to university, where they had a variety of people in common, rugby – they had apparently played against each other at school a couple of times without realising – and then what they did outside chambers - the answer for both of them wasn't a lot.

Leon had the feeling that being at The Black Friar rather than the Cittie of Yorke was helping. The Friar had nobody that they knew there and they were able to blend into the masses of other businessmen and women enjoying an unseasonably warm and sunny May evening. Things were going so well that they decided to get dinner at the pub and, in the end, it was nearly ten pm when they started making noises about heading for the tube. Of course, that brought a whole new problem as Leon wondered whether it was suitable to go in for a kiss or not. Was that too much? It was only their first date. Had it gone well enough or was that overstepping the mark?

They had just reached Blackfriar's station when the decision was taken out of Leon's hands. Leon was just about to open his mouth to say something, he wasn't sure what, when Arthur leant in and brushed a kiss against Leon's mouth.

“So, I had a really good time tonight. Any chance you're free tomorrow? I can tempt you with the pre-season All Blacks vs., Springboks match?”

Leon grinned and leant in, brushing another kiss against Arthur's mouth. “It's a date.”

~*~

For a while, it seemed as though things were going well. It had only been a couple of weeks but Percy seemed to be inordinately loved up with Elena and Leon was actually pretty happy dating Arthur. It wasn't all that serious but they made an effort to do something together away from anyone from the Inns at least once a week and Leon was actually enjoying himself far more than he had thought possible.

And then things blew up.

Morgana and Mithian had been adamant that they never got to spend any time together anymore and had insisted on having dinner together. It was supposed to be just the four of them along with Gareth but then Gareth announced that he wanted his close friends to meet his girlfriend because he was planning on proposing to her and they couldn't really say no to that. With the news that Annis would be joining them, Percy decided that he would be bringing Elena as well. They felt slightly awkward about that; after all, Gareth and Annis had been dating for a considerable amount of time whereas Percy had only been seeing Elena for a few weeks but they didn't really feel as thought they could say no.

In the end, they kind of wished that they had.

Leon hadn't really met Elena at all but he had certainly heard enough about her to feel like he knew her. He was far from enamoured at the prospect of actually having to have dinner with one of Percy's partners but, he supposed that, considering he had never said anything, he couldn't really complain. He did wish that the three of them had been able to say no to Percy when he said that he was bringing her but, at the very least, Morgana and Mithian would be there to act as buffers. Besides, if it absolutely came down to it, he could fake a headache or some sort of illness. Maybe sickness seeing as Mithian was cooking and it had never really been her forte. As it happened, Leon had been unable to leave the table, his eyes fixed on the car crash happening in front of him.

To their relief, Mithian hadn't cooked. Instead, she had made a run to M&S and bought everything so that all she had to do was heat everything up. Accompanying the meal was enough alcohol to sink a battleship, all provided courtesy of Morgana. Out of all of them, Mithian was the one who had dated the least, second only to Leon. She had dated a fair amount in university but not really since she had left university and joined chambers. There had been a few one night stands but the last relationship had been with a woman called Niniane that Mithian had met in a bar and it had gone relatively well until Mithian had gone out to a bar with Morgana one evening and spotted Niniane kissing someone else in the same bar. As a result, what they hadn't been expecting was for sparks to fly the second that Mithian and Elena set eyes upon each other. In fact, Gareth and Annis positively took second stage to the flirting that was going on between the two women.

While the evening was young, both Leon and Morgana did their best to make conversation with Gareth and Annis, finding their friend's girlfriend perfectly nice and knew that they were going to be giving their seal of approval. The problem was that, as the evening progressed, it was hard to ignore how it was deteriorating for the rest of the table. Elena and Mithian seemed to be the only people who were happy, flirting away and giggling, barely touching their wine glasses. In comparison, it seemed as though Percy hadn't stopped drinking, steadily draining and refilling his glass as he alternately gripped his cutlery so hard Leon and Morgana were amazed that it hadn't bent in two.

All in all, none of them were surprised when Percy left abruptly the instant that dinner was over, his departure going completely unnoticed by his supposed girlfriend and Mithian.

~*~

Several days after the disastrous dinner hosted by Mithian and Morgana, Leon found himself tumbling into bed with Arthur. They had gone on a number of dates since that first successful evening at The Black Friar and had spent the night drinking and dancing at a variety of clubs in Soho, getting progressively drunker and handy with each other as the night wore on. When they had finally flagged down a cab and stumbled inside during the early hours of the morning, a simple glance was all it had taken for Arthur to give the driver his address before pulling Leon into a kiss.

They managed to get inside without giving any of Arthur's neighbours an eyeful but it had been a near run thing, particularly when Leon had pressed Arthur up against the front door, far more interested in grinding against Arthur than letting him open the front door. Once they were finally inside, they showed no such restraint. This time it was Leon who found himself pressed up against the front door as Arthur's hands roamed freely.

“Bedroom. We're not fucking against the front door.” Arthur panted, fingers fumbling at the buttons of Leon's shirt.

Leon's head thudded back against the door as Arthur nipped at his jaw, Leon's fingers scrabbling for the hem of Arthur's t-shirt. “Lead the way then.”

Arthur didn't so much lead the way as walk backwards, using his grip on Leon's hips to pull him along through the darkened flat, their lips fused together as they kicked off their shoes, trying not to trip over. Once inside the bedroom, Leon found himself being turned and pushed backwards until he was sprawled across the ridiculously large bed with Arthur stood at the foot of it staring at him. Before he could become too self-conscious, Arthur was crawling onto the bed and over Leon, spearing a hand through Leon's hair and pulling him up into a searing kiss.

Desperately needing more, Leon reached between them to fumble at Arthur's belt buckle and the fastenings of his jeans as Arthur did exactly the same, pulling Leon's hips up off the bed in order to shove his jeans and boxers as far down Leon's thighs as possible. When they couldn't do any more in a prone position, regardless of how much wriggling they did, Arthur sat up and kicked his jeans and boxers off as well as pulling his socks off before rummaging in the bedside drawer. Having disposed of his own jeans and underwear over the side of the bed, Leon sat up and pulled Arthur back into a kiss as soon as he possibly could while Arthur deposited lube and condoms on the sheets.

“How do you want to do this?”

“Fuck me. Now.”

“With pleasure.”

Leon went willingly as Arthur pushed him back against the bed, spreading his legs eagerly as Arthur settled over him, the tub of lube already open off to the side of Leon. Leon's head thudded back against the pillows as the first of Arthur's slick fingers slid inside him, swiftly followed by a second. Leon pulled Arthur down to claim his mouth and hopefully mask the embarrassingly loud moan that escaped him as Arthur's fingers grazed past his prostate. He bucked his hips eagerly, trying to encourage Arthur for more.

To Leon's immense relief though, Arthur didn't seem to be interested in dragging this out for any longer than absolutely necessary. He prepared Leon thoroughly but swiftly and it wasn't long before Arthur was sitting back on his heels, ripping open one of the condom packets and rolling it over his cock before slicking it up.

Leon could hear his breath hitch as Arthur pressed into him steadily until he was completely sheathed inside Leon. It had been long enough since Leon had had sex with someone instead of using toys that he was grateful when Arthur paused, leaning down to capture Leon's lips in a filthy kiss before he started to move. Leon wrapped his leg around Arthur's hip in an attempt to encourage him to move more as Arthur changed the angle of his thrusts continuously until Leon moaned loudly, his hands clutching at Arthur's shoulders as Arthur's cock raked over his prostate. Leon rolled his hips as best as he could as his hands raked across Arthur's back and shoulders, encouraging him to speed up his thrusts, something that Arthur seemed more than happy to indulge him in.

“Stroke yourself,” the words were breathless as Arthur continued thrusting and Leon obeyed, sliding a hand between them to take hold of his cock. With a hand on his cock, it didn't take long before Leon was coming convulsively around Arthur's cock, his come spurting all over his stomach and, a few thrusts later, hearing Arthur's low moan in his ear as Arthur slumped over him.

Leon watched, turning over sluggishly as, having carefully pulled out of Leon, Arthur meandered into the en-suite bathroom to dispose of the condom and emerged wiping himself down with a cloth that he threw to Leon to use before tossing it back into the bathroom when Leon had finished. As he moved back around the bed, Arthur nodded at where Leon was in the bed.

“You alright with the left side?”

“Yeah, sure.”

The two of them lay in comfortable silence next to one another, both drifting off quickly as a combination of the alcohol that they had drunk and the orgasms. Admittedly, it wasn't the cuddling that Leon almost craved but the warmth of Arthur close by in the bed was enough to send Leon off to sleep.

(~*~)

When Leon woke the following morning, feeling satiated and relatively good about everything, it was to no Arthur in the bed beside him but the sound of the radio filtering quietly through the door. Pulling on his boxers from the previous day, Leon padded out in the direction of the noise, hoping that his relationship with Arthur wasn't completely irreparable. He found Arthur sat on the sofa, mug of steaming tea in front of him, and with his head in his hands.

“Arthur?” Leon braced himself as Arthur looked up at him, a look of despair on his face.

“Leon, I'm really sorry but I can't do this. I can't make this into a relationship that will work. I like you, I like you a lot and the sex has just been great. But, I'm well, I'minlovewithanotherman.”

It took Leon a few seconds to translate the long run-on sentence but when he did, he could have cried in relief. As it was, he sank onto the nearest piece of furniture on decidedly weak knees. “Oh thank fuck. Please don't apologise Arthur. I'm in exactly the same situation.”

Leon wasn't sure which of them started laughing but it didn't take long before both of them were soon laughing almost hysterically, both still far more undressed than dressed. The surreality wasn't lost on either of them and, in all probability, contributed to their laughter. Once they had finally calmed down and dressed themselves in a bit more than boxers and t-shirts, they made it out into the sitting room again where Arthur poured them both decent measures of whisky despite the fact that it was barely lunchtime and they sat next to each other on the sofa.

“So, who is it?”

Leon had flashbacks to a very similar conversation with Gwaine and the thought made him smile as he brought the tumbler to his mouth, taking a healthy swallow before he spoke. “Percy. My flatmate. My best mate. It's truly pathetic but I've been head over heels for him for five years and never done anything about it. All of my friends are getting rather bored of it now. How about you?”

“Merlin Emrys. My best friend. Not my flatmate. He lives in a shitty little studio flat in Elephant and Castle. I spend half my time worrying that he's going to get himself mugged but he insists that he's perfectly safe living there, the idiot. We lived on the same staircase at Cambridge. He's utterly brilliant but a complete idiot. He works at the British Museum, dusty mummies and all that rot. I'm not as bad as you but I've probably been in lust with him for four years and in love with him for three. That's bad enough.”

“So I've never done anything because I've been too afraid of fucking up our friendship even though I know that Percy is into men as well as women but how about you? Is Merlin into men at all?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately. Same reason for me as you; didn't want to fuck up a friendship. Merlin is probably one of the only people who hasn't given a damn about who my father is. In fact, he actually asked if he was supposed to know who he was. Can you imagine? He'd never heard of a Lord High Justice? It was such a nice change after Harrow and even Cambridge. But, yeah, didn't want to ruin a good thing and Merlin had a nightmare relationship with some dickhead called Cenred and I didn't want to jump on him too soon. He's had counselling though, says he's alright and he has dated a bit but he's been single for months now.”

“Well at least there you're in with more luck than me. Percy is a serial dater, always has been. He never seems to be without a date. Except at the moment.” Leon went on to detail the whole clusterfuck that had been Percy/Elena/Mithian, getting up to refill their glasses as Arthur laughed so much he almost cried.

“Wow. Oh wow. You couldn't make it up. Right, okay, we both need to do something about this. Both Merlin and Percy are single so I think we should make a pact that we man up and do something about this pathetic situation we find ourselves in. Deal?”

Leon looked a little wary but eventually agreed. “Okay, deal.”

“Fantastic. So, here we go, a toast! To pathetic losers in love?” Arthur raised his glass and Leon leant forward with a grin.

“Pathetic losers in love.”

~*~

Despite their deal, once they had spoken, it seemed as though Arthur was far more pro-active about actually doing something about Merlin than Leon was about Percy. He had started broaching the subject of dating and the possibility of Merlin dating again, whether he had his eye on anyone in particular, the type of person that he was interested in and apparently it was all looking rather promising. Leon rather envied Arthur actually. All it had taken was one slightly drunken deal and Arthur was actually going for what he wanted while Leon was still pussy-footing around. Every time that he thought that he had plucked up the courage to do something, he promptly lost it and it wasn't helped by the fact that Arthur was now regularly asking how things were going.

And then, three weeks after they had made their drunken deal, Leon got an exuberant text from Arthur. 'HE SAID YES!!!' As thrilled as he was for Arthur, Leon couldn't help but feel a little depressed. After all, Arthur was now going to be dating the man that he had been in love with three years but Leon was still single. Life at home was far from fun and games. Ever since the dinner party where Elena and Mithian had hit it off so well, Percy had been practically hiding at home. The only time that he seemed to leave the flat was to go to work and apparently he was spending an inordinate amount of time at the gym considering the hours that he was out of the flat for. When he was at home, Percy spent the majority of his time in his bedroom, only coming out for food and to use the bathroom. He had refused to see Mithian at all so Leon was playing piggy in the middle which wasn't something that he enjoyed at all. It was all just such a bloody nightmare.

Just as he didn't think that things could get more awkward or complicated, he got a text from Gwaine. Leon was on a night out with Arthur and Merlin at The Plough which was a pub opposite the British Musuem that they had started visiting regularly since Arthur and Merlin started dating. Unlike the majority of his friends when they were dating, who were all sickeningly love-sick, Arthur and Merlin spent 90% of their time insulting each other so Leon was always guaranteed an interesting evening. He also appreciated the fact that, despite the fact that they were now dating, Arthur still made sure that he spent time with Leon without Merlin. They still had their lunchtime gym sessions, but they would still go for drinks after work and even made it to Lord's to watch the cricket a couple of times. Arthur was even working on getting Leon to join his amateur rugby team when the summer training started in preparation for the new season.

But, back to Gwaine. Apparently, Gwaine had a few weeks in between contracts and he was planning on visiting London to see Leon, was it alright if he stayed? Maybe they could have a bit of fun like they did in Paris, seeing as they were both still single. Not caring about the spilt beer and food crumbs all over the table, Leon thunked his head down, hitting it a few more times for good measure.

“Leon? What's going on? Bad news?”

“My um, well, I guess ex-boyfriend? That's probably the easiest way to describe him. Well, he's just sent me a message saying that he's coming to London and wants to stay with me.”

“Is that a problem? Did you have a bad break-up?” Merlin may have started coming out with him and Arthur for drinks occasionally but Leon hadn't told him everything about his screwed-up love life. Until now.

“Not in the way you're thinking, Merlin. Gwaine and I get on really well, it was all perfectly amicable. I just get the feeling that my life is going to get a whole lot messier.”


	4. Year Five Part 2

It was with more than a little trepidation that Leon headed to Liverpool Street Station to pick Gwaine up and bring him back to the flat. He really wasn't convinced that this was still a good idea and, not for the first time, wondered if maybe he shouldn't have told Gwaine to book into a hotel, rather than saying that Gwaine could stay with him. Things had improved slightly with Percy since the whole Elena/Mithian thing in that Percy had actually stopped spending quite so much time in his bedroom and was actually socialising again. Admittedly, he was only socialising with people from work and Leon – he was refusing to see Mithian and Elena for the moment – but it was progress. Leon had even managed to drag Percy out to meet Arthur for a day at Twickenham watching the rugby 7's and had been pleased when the two men had got on like a house on fire. The discovery that Arthur and Leon had dated had earned him a strange look from Percy but he had never said anything and Leon had brushed it off as paranoia and not really thought about it. All in all, while things weren't exactly perfect, they were a hell of a lot better than they had been and Leon could deal with that.

Only now he was about to throw Gwaine into the mix and who knew what a clusterfuck that was going to create. He and Gwaine had kept in contact ever since Leon had left Paris and Leon would be the first to admit that he had missed the other man. It had all been so easy with Gwaine and, while Leon didn't want to be back in a relationship of sorts with Gwaine, he missed that ease as well as the comfort of being in a relationship. Gwaine, of course, hadn't stopped his dating and his emails to Leon had been full of the people that he had taken out on dates or slept with on his travels around Europe. Of course, Leon's own emails back to Gwaine had been far less interesting. He hadn't left the UK since Paris, not even on holiday, and the only person he had dated had been Arthur.

He'd detailed the whole Arthur experience to Gwaine in great detail over one Skype conversation and had ended up going to get himself a drink with plenty of alcohol in it while Gwaine had pissed himself laughing. He had commented that only Leon could manage to date someone who was in love with his best friend while Leon was actually in love with his own best friend. When Gwaine had called him a 'tragic Taylor Swift song', Leon had protested as much as he could before having to concede the point and have a bit of a laugh at himself. Still, he wasn't convinced that adding an incredibly flirtatious Gwaine into the mix was going to be a good idea.

By the time that Leon got to Liverpool Street to meet Gwaine off the Stanstead Express, the station was practically deserted. Gwaine had got on one of the last flights out of Paris and so by the time that he'd landed, got through baggage claim and security then got to the Express into London, it was well after rush-hour and so the station wasn't completely rammed full of commuters trying to get out of the City for the night. Not having bothered to go home before meeting Gwaine in favour of an extra couple of hours in the office and grabbing a guilt-inducing Burger King at the station once he had arrived, Leon couldn't help but regret his decision when he caught sight of Gwaine heading towards him on the other side of the ticket barriers.

In comparison to Leon's work attire of suit and smart shoes, along with a leather 'man-bag' slung over his shoulder that contained a few bits of paperwork along with his tablet, phone, wallet and keys, Gwaine looked as though he'd just walked off a photo shoot. Both his t-shirt and his jeans looked as though they'd been washed just the right number of times to get the precise look that Gwaine was hoping to achieve. Over the top was thrown the battered leather jacket that Leon recognised all too well, Gwaine having worn it for the majority of their time together in Paris. The second that Gwaine was through the barriers, he was juggling suitcase, bag and violin case so that he could pull Leon into a hug that Leon sunk into willingly.

“It's good to see you Gwaine.”

“Good to see you too mate. It's been far too long.”

They started to walk towards the front of the station, Leon having decided to splurge on a taxi rather than combating the underground with all of Gwaine's stuff. As they walked, Gwaine detailed the number of phone numbers he had been given by various air stewardesses and even an air steward. They had just reached the taxi rank when Gwaine turned to Leon with a look that Leon didn't like the look of.

“So, when do I get to meet the delectable Percy?”

“Gwaine, you promised that you would behave while you're here.” Leon tried not to sound too reproachful but flirtatious Gwaine was who he had been dreading.

“So I did. I promise, absolute best behaviour from now on.”

Somehow, Leon had a hard time believing that Gwaine was going to stick to his promise.

(~*~)

The first time that Gwaine met Leon's group of friends, Leon wasn't sure who was going to kill the man first; him or Arthur. Since they had mutually agreed to go after the men that they actually had feelings for and Arthur and Merlin had started dating, they had slowly become incorporated into their friendship group and were often present on nights out or evenings in. Leon had certainly appreciated their presence, even if it were slightly bittersweet. After all, Arthur had Merlin now but Leon still hadn't done anything about Percy. Mithian and Elena were still a bit of a touchy subject with Percy but Leon had been adamant that he wanted Gwaine to meet his nearest and dearest all at the same time. Percy hadn't been entirely happy with it but had caved eventually.

Of course, Leon had completely failed to take into account Gwaine's flirtatious nature. Gwaine had charmed Mithian and Elena in a heartbeat and had greeted Morgana enthusiastically, swinging her around in a huge hug before kissing her three times on her cheeks. The real fireworks came when Gwaine met Merlin.

Merlin had been welcomed with open arms by Leon's friendship group, along with Arthur, and had fitted in like he had always been there, maybe even more so than Arthur who had a sniping love-hate relationship with Morgana. Gwaine seemed to take to Merlin immediately. He made a bee-line for Merlin and, completely disregarding the proprietary hand that Arthur had on Merlin's upper thigh, proceeded to flirt outrageously. Gwaine was pulling out all of the stops, grinning widely and flipping his hair as though he was auditioning for a part in a hair commercial, not caring about the fuming Arthur sat in between them until, finally, Arthur exploded.

“Look Gwaine, do you think you could refrain from flirting with my boyfriend?”

“What's your problem, princess? I'm just being friendly! I can't help it if I'm an engaging guy.”

“Well, be friendly with someone else.”

Arthur had practically growled the words out and Leon knew that he was very close to losing his patience. Thankfully, Gwaine seemed to realise the same thing and backed off. Although, he couldn't resist one last dig before he did so. He leant over Arthur one final time and winked rakishly at Merlin one last time.

“If you ever get bored of the princess, just give me a shout. I won't say no.”

Leon had hoped that Gwaine would then reign it in for the rest of the evening but oh no. Instead, Gwaine had turned his not inconsiderable charm on Percy. Not able to say anything, Leon settled for trying to distract himself by chatting to anybody but Gwaine and Percy, particularly Arthur, occasionally sending dark looks in Gwaine's direction.

Unsurprisingly, his behaviour was picked up by Gwaine when they all left and started heading for the nearest tube station. With Percy engaged in conversation with Arthur and Merlin, Gwaine threw an arm over Leon's shoulders and hung back so that they couldn't be overheard.

“Alright Leon, what was with all of the evil looks all night? Bothered that I was flirting with your beloved Percy?”

Leon tried to throw Gwaine's arm off but Gwaine was tenacious and refused to budge. “Gwaine!”

“Oh come on. I'm just having a bit of fun! I mean, I'd seen photos of Percy so I knew he was good-looking but I hadn't realised just how big the guy is. And that Merlin's rather delectable as well. Not sure I can see what you saw in that Arthur bloke though. Bit of a princess.”

“Gwaine! You said that you would behave while you were here!”

“And I have been behaving! All I've done is flirt a bit, that's all. I'm not breaking any laws. Besides, I haven't just been flirting with Percy. I've flirted with Merlin and I've been flirting with you. Look, if you want people to not flirt with Percy then you need to make sure that he's off the market. Until then, I'm sorry, but he's fair game.”

Leon could only stare as Gwaine removed his arm from around Leon and sped up to flirt with Merlin again, undoubtedly just to rile Arthur up. Leon, however, stayed at the back of the group by himself, not really wanting to talk to any of his friends right now, not in the mood that he was now in. As much as he loved Gwaine, he really didn't like him right now.

~*~

“So do you already know how pathetic you are or do we need to tell you?”

Morgana rolled her eyes as she slid into the booth, Mithian and Elena following her, so that Leon felt as though he were facing the Spanish Inquisition rather than simply meeting his friends for a drink. Not that he had been expecting the three of them; he had only been expecting Morgana. He had been summoned via a voicemail from Morgana and, despite his show of reluctance, he had actually relished the opportunity to get away from Gwaine. As much as he loved the man, Leon was struggling to deal with Gwaine's presence and everything that that entailed.

“Hello Morgana, lovely to see you too. Hi Mith, Elena. Not that it isn't lovely to see you both but I was just expecting Morgana, not the Spanish Inquisition. Or have you come to just generally make my life miserable by taking the piss out of me?”

“Make your life miserable. We take the piss out of you all the time anyway.”

Leon started to slide out of the booth. He hadn't come to hear this. Normally he wouldn't let it bother him but he was already on edge, what with all of the flirting that Gwaine had been doing with Percy. He knew that Gwaine was an incorrigible flirt and that flirting was akin to breathing for him but, even so. Gwaine knew everything to do with Percy and he knew that Leon was still crazy about him so he couldn't understand why Gwaine was doing it. Surely the man could keep it in his pants for a week and a half? Or, at the very least, go and pick up some random bloke. Wasn't that what Grindr and Tinder were for anyway? Then again, maybe he was being irrational. After all, Gwaine was flirting with him just as much and Merlin until Arthur put a stop to it. He stopped as Mithian reached out and placed her hand on his arm.

“Leon, we're sorry. We're not here to take the piss out of you. We're here to talk to you, give you some advice and we're hoping that you take it.”

“And what advice might that be? Something that I haven't heard a million times over and over again?”

“No, not really.”

“Morgana,” Mithian's tone was chiding and she shot Morgana a sideways look as she reached a hand across the table to cover Leon's as best as she could. “Consider us more of an intervention than an inquisition.”

“And what might this intervention be saying? That I need to decide what I'm going to do about Percy and actually do what I decide?”

“Basically yes.”

“Morgana! For God's sake!”

“What? Leon, I love you dearly, you know that. You're like the brother I never had and I have never begrudged the hours I've listened to you talk about Percy but it has to stop. This isn't healthy, something needs to change.”

“And what do you think needs to change?”

“You. It's been five years and you haven't said anything to him yet you're moping around because Gwaine is flirting a little bit.”

“He's doing a bit more than flirting a little bit.” Elena piped up, “If this is him flirting just a little bit then I'm a little scared to see what a lot of flirting is!”

“Fine. So Gwaine's being his normal flirtatious self. He's always like that and you should know that; you dated him for God's sake!”

“Yes, I know that Gwaine's always like that but that doesn't make dealing with him any easier. Not when he knows how I feel about Percy and he had promised me that he was going to behave while he was here.”

“Gwaine doesn't know how to behave. You told me that you and Arthur made a deal that you would tell Percy and Merlin how you felt about them. Now, you know that I don't always get on with Arthur but I will give him credit for something; he at least had the balls to tell Merlin how he felt. So, here is another ultimatum. If you don't tell Percy how you feel about him by the time that Gwaine leaves, then I will tell him for you.”

Her piece said, Morgana rose and left the booth, squeezing past Leon as she went. Mithian's gaze was flitting between Leon and Morgana, looking incredibly conflicted, until after sharing a glance with Elena, she headed after Morgana leaving Leon and Elena sat together.

“So, how do you feel about having your say in this considering that you and Percy dated?”

Elena laughed loudly and brightly. “Leon, Percy and I dated for all of three weeks and we all know how well that turned out. But, if I may, I'll certainly give my five pence worth.”

Leon knocked back a healthy swallow of his drink and spread his hands wide. “By all means. Everybody else has had their say.”

“Okay then. You might not want to hear this but I think Morgana is right. Five years is an awfully long time to pine after someone and I hate the idea of you wasting your late teens and early twenties on Percy, however great he is. But! Let me finish before you get all defensive. I also know Percy differently to you. We may not have been together for long but I did find out a few things while we were together.”

“Why are you telling me this Elena?” Leon fiddled with one of the coasters littering the table to stop him from ordering another drink; he had been drinking far too much recently and he had to keep an eye on that.

“Because what I'm going to tell you might have an effect on your confidence to carry out Morgana's ultimatum. Do you have any idea how much Percy talked about you when we were dating? Don't laugh, I'm not joking. The first couple of times that we went out on dates, I swear, I was wondering who he actually wanted to date: me, the one that he was actually out on the date with or you, the one he had left at home. It seemed as though everything that he said, everything he did, was related to you somehow.”

“And what is this supposed to do? Convince me to declare my undying love? We're best friends and have been for five years. Of course we're going to talk about each other, talk about the things that we've done together.”

“Yes, that's true. However, I don't talk about my female best friends that much and some of them I've been friends with since childhood. Look, all I'm saying is that, I wouldn't be surprised if there was something there that was more than friendship. I don't think that you should be afraid of saying something because you're afraid that Percy will run away screaming. I think you might be surprised when you finally say something.” Elena leant over and pressed a kiss to Leon's cheek. “I'll leave you to think about it.”

Leon waited a scant five minutes from when Elena had walked over to join Mithian and Morgana at the bar before he left the building, waving at the trio of women as he walked out. He had a lot of thinking to do.

~*~

About ten days into Gwaine's visit, which had already been extended, the news that Percy had been waiting on tenterhooks for arrived; whether or not he had qualified as a teacher. Leon had come home from work ridiculously early for him and had walked in the front door to find Percy sat at the kitchen table. There was no sign of Gwaine but on the table in front of Percy was their trusty bottle of freezer vodka, replaced after Percy's drunken confession, and an envelope. Tossing his suit jacket and bag gently onto the sofa, Leon crossed into the kitchen and lounged against the cabinets.

“So? What's the verdict? Are you qualified to teach the little shits?”

Percy shrugged. “Don't know. I haven't opened it yet.”

“What? Why the hell not? How long have you been staring at it?”

Percy smiled ruefully. “Honestly? About an hour and a half.”

The breath rushed out of Leon loudly as he stepped forward and took a seat on the opposite side of the table to Percy. “Why the hell haven't you opened it? What are you waiting for? You've been waiting for this for weeks. This is it.”

“Precisely. This is it. My whole future is in that envelope. What if I haven't qualified?”

“You can't think like that. Of course you'll have qualified.”

“You can't know that.” Percy pushed the envelope across the table. “You open it. I can't look.”

Leon shoved the envelope right back. “Don't be stupid, of course you can open it. I'm not doing it for you.”

“But ….”

“Perce, just open the damn envelope.”

With a failed attempt at puppy dog eyes (that very nearly had Leon caving), an aborted lunge for the vodka bottle and a lot of huffing and puffing, Percy opened the envelope. Sat across the table from him, holding his breath and almost as nervous as Percy, Leon waited with bated breath as Percy seemed to take absolutely forever to read through the single sheet of A4 paper. Finally, he couldn't bear the waiting any longer.

“Well? What does it say?” Slowly, a wide grin spread across Percy's face and Leon knew that it was good news. “Yes?”

“Yes. I am officially an NQT. I can officially accept that job for September.”

Leon wasted no time getting to his feet and rounding the table, wrapped Percy in a huge bear hug the instant that the other man stood up. “Congratulations! I knew you had done it. We have to celebrate – I'll go and phone the others.”

Leon was halfway to the phone when a hand wrapped around his bicep and he looked back at Percy with a look of confusion.

“Can it just be the two of us? We'll celebrate with the others at some point but you're the one who's put up with me all the way through this so it seems right that it's just us. Takeaway and some booze sounds like the perfect celebration.”

Well, Leon certainly wasn't going to complain about getting to spend time with Percy just the two of them. Not at all. “Sounds good to me. Tell you what. Let me go and get changed then you order the takeaway and I'll go and get something a bit better to drink. News like this deserves better than shit beer and cheap vodka.”

“Thanks Leon.”

“No problem.”

(~*~)

Leon's outing to the shops had resulted in him bringing back goodies in the form of several bottles of Lanson's champagne and a large bottle of Stolichnaya vodka. Not the usual accompaniment for an Indian takeaway, which was undoubtedly what Percy would have ordered, but Percy passing his NQT deserved something a bit more than Kingfisher beer. They had just about demolished the champagne by the time the delivery man rang the doorbell and were decidedly tipsy when they stood up to let him in. Once they'd finished eating, they started in on the vodka, both offering up toasts before abandoning the shot glasses in favour of tumblers and some ice that they had managed to scrounge up from the back of the freezer. They were down to the last third of the vodka when Percy brought the topic of conversation around to a more personal subject and, as drunk as he was, Leon could do nothing to stop Percy from asking or stop himself from answering, his tongue loosened by all of the alcohol.

“Are you asexual?”

Percy's question, coming completely out of nowhere, made Leon choke on his vodka.

“What? Why would you ask that?”

“Well, I've only known you to really date two people since I've known you and neither of them has lasted long.”

“You can hardly talk! Besides, I dated Gwaine for a year. And no, I'm not asexual! I like sex just as much as anybody else.”

“But that doesn't make sense. If you like sex, why don't you date? Or have one-night stands?” “Because.” “Because what? Because isn't an answer. Why haven't you dated? You're a good-looking guy, anybody would be lucky to have you. Come on, you can tell me.”

Leon's hand clenched around his glass but his tongue seemed to have a mind of its own. “Alright, how's this for an answer. I haven't dated much because I've been in love with you since our first day at university and being in love with your best friend tends to put a dampener on things when you're dating someone else.” His piece said and desperately needing to get away from Percy, Leon swore as the entire room spun wildly. “And I need to go to bed now.”

(~*~)

The following morning, Leon woke with a slight hangover but remembering every single word that he had uttered the previous night. He remembered telling Percy how he had been in love with him since that first day at university and that that had been the reason that Leon had never really dated; he had never truly wanted to date anybody other than Percy. Leon then remembered that he had actually walked out on Percy before he could respond. Who knew, maybe he would say something that morning. Hearing Percy's off-key singing coming from the kitchen alongside the smell of bacon, Leon fought his way out of his duvet and headed for the kitchen, a small smile on his lips and anticipation running through his veins.

“Morning Perce, you're rather chipper this morning.” Leon was hoping against hope that this was it, that he might finally get what he wanted.

“Mornin'. Still chuffed to bits about my letter to be honest. I've already sent a message to everybody else about dinner tonight; I've booked a table at Tayyab's for eight pm. You'll come won't you?”

“Yeah, of course.” Leon's voice sounded pathetic, even to himself, but he couldn't help but feel more than a little deflated.

He desperately clung on to hope until the end of breakfast but when Percy started making noises about heading down to the five-a-side football in the local park, Leon lost any remaining hope. His confession had been in vain and, just like their kisses, Percy had either completely forgotten what Leon had said in a drunken haze or, and this actually seemed worse, he was choosing to ignore Leon's heartfelt confession.

~*~

They – Leon, Percy and Gwaine - had been for a drink at the pub just around the corner from the flat and it had all been going swimmingly. Gwaine had been regaling them all with tales from the studio and his current recording sessions, some of which had had Leon and Percy gobsmacked at some of the things that Gwaine claimed had happened. And then, quite typically, it all went tits up. Leon had just got another round in and was walking back to their table, carefully balancing three pints and three packets of crisps, when he saw that Percy was quite happily smiling and chatting away to some woman who didn't seem to care that if her top got any lower, her boobs would definitely be falling out of it. It was too much. Percy had seemed completely uninterested in finding another relationship so Leon had assumed that his only competition was Gwaine, who wasn't really competition anyway because he didn't do relationships. He reacted in the only way that he could think of. Continuing on to their table, he set the contents of his hands down but then, instead of taking his seat again, he walked out of the pub and headed straight for home.

He had just reached the door of the flat when he heard running footsteps coming up behind him and turned around to see an out-of-breath Gwaine staggering up the last few stairs. Ignoring Gwaine, Leon continued unlocking the front door and walked in, heading straight for the freezer and the bottle of vodka that was always kept there. He growled as the vodka was pulled straight out of his hands and placed back in the freezer by a wheezing Gwaine.

“What the hell are you playing at? What was that back there? Why the fuck haven't you told him yet?”

“I have fucking told him! I told him two weeks ago! Except I have the shittest timing in the world so, just like all of the kisses we've shared, I managed to tell Percy I have feelings for him when he was drunk. So either he can't remember or he remembers but he's choosing to ignore it.”

“What?!” The two of them spun around, seeing Percy stood in the doorway. Clearly Gwaine had left the front door wide open and, with Leon's unexpected exit in addition to Gwaine following him, Percy had obviously left the pub as well and followed them home.

“Aaaaaaand that's my cue to leave. I'll just head back to the pub for a bit and come back later.” Gwaine headed for the door, turning around briefly to mouth at Leon 'Just fucking tell him' before leaving and slamming the door behind him, so that they definitely knew that he was gone.

Leon resisted the urge to reach back into the freezer and retrieve the bottle of vodka and instead watched Percy warily.

“What was Gwaine talking about Leon?”

Leon took a deep breath. It was now or never. This had gone on for long enough. He needed to get this sorted once and for all.

“How much do you remember from the other night? You know, when we were celebrating your NQT?”

“I remember we drank a lot of champagne and some very good vodka.”

“Beyond that. What do you remember beyond what we drank? Can you remember what I said?”

“I remember you congratulating me and us chatting. It was good vodka. Oh, yeah, we were talking about relationships and I,”

“Asked why I hadn't really had a relationship except for Gwaine. And I answered that ...”

“Oh shit!” Leon tried to smile but he had the feeling that it came out as more of a grimace. “You remember then?”

“You told me that you um, er, that you l-”

“That I loved you. Do love you. That I've been in love with you for years, since the first day that I saw you at university.”

“I remember now. Why have you not told me before now? Why have you never said anything? I mean, it's been five years Leon!”

“Trust me Percy, I know exactly how many years I've been pining over you but in my defence, you haven't exactly helped matters.”

“And what's that supposed to mean?”

“What about the kisses that we've shared over the last five years? Rugby Freshers Christmas social, Reading ...”

“And that night after you got back from Paris. Bloody hell.”

“And they haven't been the only ones. I thought that maybe you forgot what had happened or maybe you weren't interested. But then it carried on happening and you carried on dating and I got confused. I mean it only ever seemed to happen when you were drunk, when we were both drunk. I didn't know what to do.”

“Why did you never say anything Leon? Five years?”

“I didn't want it to affect our relationship. You've been one of my best friends since we met and I didn't want to lose that but, like I said, five years is a long time and well, Morgana was getting sick of my pining and Arthur and I made a deal.”

“You made a deal?” Leon chuckled ruefully. “It sounds so childish now. I was, I'm in love with you and Arthur was in love with Merlin but neither of us had ever said anything. We made a deal that we would both man up and say something. Arthur found his balls first and he got Merlin but me, well, I have shittier luck.”

“I need to think about this. I'm not saying no, I just, well. You've given me a lot to think about and, now that you've mentioned it, things are coming flooding back and I need to process everything.”

Leon could do nothing but nod numbly. Now that he'd vented everything, he was feeling more than a little drained and more than anything, all he wanted to do was change into his pyjamas and crawl under his duvets and not emerge for as long as possible.

“Yeah sure, of course. I understand.”

“I'm going to go for a walk and then I'll be back. Okay?”

He heard Percy sigh and then the other man was speaking again. “I'm not saying no, Leon, I just...”

Leon nodded, still not really looking at Percy. He wasn't sure that he could. He wasn't given a choice however when, all of a sudden, Percy was looming over him, lifting Leon's chin with two fingers. Before Leon could say anything, Percy's lips were covering his own in a chaste kiss that lasted barely a minute before Percy was pulling back and heading towards the door.

“I'm sorry, I just needed to do that sober. I'll be back, I just need to think.”

~*~

The time that Percy was away was practically unbearable for Leon. Now that he had unburdened himself, he felt so much lighter but, simultaneously, the relief was warring with the terror that, despite Elena's words and Percy's own words and actions, he had chased Percy off. Needing to do something, needing a distraction of any sort, he went and changed into an old t-shirt and jogging bottoms before returning to the living room. He tried reading a couple of documents for work but couldn't focus on the words and a copy of Rugby World that they had lying around was no better. With reading not being an option, Leon settled for tidying the living room and kitchen as Gwaine's presence had apparently meant that his stuff was going to be thrown all over the living room and the kitchen was permanently going to be stacked high with dirty dishes.

He was half-way through his self-appointed task when his phone went, sending him into the air as he leapt in shock. He reproached himself for being disappointed when he realised that it was Gwaine letting him know that he would be going home with Daegal, the young Irish barman from the pub round the corner to give Leon and Percy a bit of space.

Leon had turned to Top Gear re-runs on Dave and had just got up to go to bed when he finally heard the sound of Percy's key in the front door. Not really knowing what to do, Leon hovered awkwardly until Percy appeared in the doorway and a glance at the clock finally told Leon that he had been gone for three hours.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be that long.” Percy was hovering just as awkwardly as Leon. “I wandered around for a while thinking and it didn't really help so I um, I phoned Elena.”

Leon must have made some sort of disbelieving noise because Percy looked a little bashful. “Yeah, I know. Well, I phoned Morgana first but she was all cryptic and not particularly helpful but she told me to phone Elena.”

“How was that?” Leon was genuinely curious. Gwaine's arrival had forced Percy to spend time with Mithian and Elena again before an intervention held by Morgana had sorted out all of the ill-will. Even so, things were still slightly strained between the trio.

“It was awkward but, um, shall we say illuminating?” Percy chuckled a bit self-consciously before he continued talking. “I hadn't realised quite how much I talk about you. It certainly explains why some of my colleagues at school looked confused when I mentioned a boyfriend or girlfriend. It got me thinking I suppose, looking at things a little differently.”

Percy took another couple of steps into the room. “I fancied you like crazy when I first met you. Did you known that? I tell you watching you in rugby trials was torture. If we hadn't lived together, I'd have gone for you in a heartbeat. And I guess that's why I never did. We lived together and we were great friends and I didn't want to fuck that up and have to keep living together. But obviously I did because I kept kissing you and letting my subconscious blot it out. I'm so sorry.”

“The apology isn't necessary but accepted.” Leon took a couple of cautious steps closer to Percy. “So where does that leave us now? What do you want to do?”

Percy's voice was soft but Leon could still hear every word of Percy's answer.

“I want to give this, give us a go.”

Leon stepped closer, aware that Percy was doing the same until they were practically chest to chest. “Are you sure?”

Percy leaned in closer so that Leon could feel Percy's breath on his face before he answered, “Positive.”

And then Percy's lips were on his once more. This kiss was still chaste but, even so, Leon found himself having to steady himself with a hand on Percy's bicep. Before they got too involved though, Percy pulled back with a hesitance that Leon was pleased to note.

“Wait, there's one thing that you need to know about, um, my previous relationships. I, um, well ...”

Leon bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. “I already know.”

“What?”

“We really need to stop letting you drink vodka.”

~*~

Two weeks later and Leon was still feeling as though he was floating around in a little bubble of bliss. Whatever he had been expecting that night, it hadn't been for Percy to come back and say that he wanted to give things, give them, a go. He certainly hadn't been expecting Percy to come back and kiss him. Still, he had and two weeks later they were dating. It hadn't been plain sailing and their first date had actually been as awkward as hell.

However, once the awkwardness was over, the ease with which they had slipped into dating had honestly surprised them both. It seemed as though nothing had changed, their friendship was simply more. To Leon, it reminded him perfectly of those weeks around Easter when Percy had broken up with Elyan and he and Leon were spending all of their time together and it had felt like they were dating. Back then, the only thing that Leon had felt was missing was the physical affection but now he had precisely that. It had been a little strange at first, for both of them, and there had been a lot of awkward moments, forced laughter and blushing but once they had got used to it, it felt right. It was their friendship, as it had been for the last five years, just more.

What Leon appreciated most was that, instead of having to watch Percy getting ready to go out on dates with other people, he got to watch Percy get ready for a date and then go on the date with him. They hadn't even done anything particularly special for their dates. Nearly every single one of them had been something that they had done together before as friends. They had gone out for dinner, to the cinema, to watch the rugby and trips to sample the food at Borough Market on a Saturday. They had even gone on a double date with Arthur and Merlin, which had gone far better than Leon had ever thought possible. In fact, it seemed as though the double date had been the tipping point for Percy. As though he wasn't completely certain that they were doing this and that it was working. They had gone to Greenwich for a concert in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College that had the added bonus of being next to the Meantime Brewery so they could indulge in more than a few craft beers each. Percy and Leon had actually missed the end of the concert. They had left an oblivious Arthur and Merlin, both of whom had missed almost the entirety of the concert because they were completely wrapped up in each other, and gone for a walk along the Thames path only to end up sat on one of the benches snogging furiously and not caring who saw them. It had been practically perfect.

The only thing that was lacking was the sex. Or rather the lack of it. There had been lots of snogging, plenty of frottage and groping each other. Percy had given Leon several handjobs and even sucked him off once, after a heady night out dancing but Leon was never allowed to reciprocate. It didn't take too long before it all came to a head. They had been out for dinner and to go to the cinema, where they had availed themselves of the fact that the screen they were in was practically empty and had missed the majority of the film because they had been so wrapped up in each other. Leon had tried to continue things as soon as they got home and had received no complaints from Percy. Indeed, Percy had enthusiastically pressed Leon back against the sofa but, the second that Leon got his hand into Percy's pants, the man jumped like a scalded cat and practically leapt off the sofa.

“I think I fancy a drink. Did you want anything while I'm up?”

“Perce, what's the matter? I thought you were enjoying it?”

“I was but you know, um, well … my cock is well, um...”

“Percy, I know precisely how big your cock is or was that something else that I felt when I slipped my hand into your pants ten seconds ago?”

“No but there's a bit of a difference between you wanking me off with your hand and us having penetrative sex.”

“I am more than aware of that Percy, I'm not some green teenager. What I'm saying is, do you intend to stop us every single time we get anywhere more than giving each other hand jobs? You just jumped as though you were having a heart attack.”

“You don't get it. My cock is the reason that every single relationship of mine has ever failed. Except for Elena.”

“And you haven't grasped the fact that I already know this. You've already told me. Hence my comment that you're cut off from vodka because you obviously can't remember telling me. I know precisely why every single relationship of yours hasn't worked and that doesn't bother me. It doesn't phase me. I want to try this, please.”

Leon kissed his way from Percy's mouth to his ear, pausing to tug at Percy's earlobe with his teeth, knowing that it was a particular weakness of Percy's before he spoke directly into Percy's ear. “Come on, please.” He smiled as he felt Percy's body lose its tension and knew that he had won.

“Alright, we'll try. But, and I mean this, you have to say stop if it's too painful or uncomfortable okay? And then we'll discuss this again. Yes?”

“Sure,” Leon shrugged nonchalantly only for Percy to take him by the shoulders and look at him seriously, pulling him away from where Leon was sucking a victorious love bite just below Percy's jawline, one that would be clearly visible above his shirts.

“Promise me, Leon.”

“I promise,” Leon swore, desperately trying to keep the smile off his lips, as he thought of the contents of the box under his bed. They wouldn't be having the other conversation, he was sure of it.

~*~

Leon and Percy had been dating for three weeks when Mithian announced that she wanted a night of dancing and that all of them would be attending; there was to be no opting out. This had prompted a serious discussion between Leon and Percy as to what they did. Up until now, they hadn't told anyone that they were trialling a relationship with the exception of Arthur and Merlin. As Leon had pointed out to a slightly wary Percy when he had first broached the prospect of a double date, Arthur and Merlin were completely separate to their group of university friends - they were involved as a direct result of Leon's relationship and subsequent friendship with Arthur - and if Percy decided that he didn't want to do this, it wouldn't cause any problems. Both had been afraid of ructions similar to those caused when Elena and Mithian got together if everyone knew of Leon and Percy and then it failed. However, as time had gone on Leon started to dislike the fact that they were keeping secrets from their closest friends. To him, a night out together seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell Morgana, Mithian and the others.

Leon had chosen his moment carefully. He picked a night that they were both home reasonably early and had bought both their favourite beers and takeaway in the hope of buttering Percy up a little bit. He waited until they had finished eating and were lounging on the sofa before he brought up the prospect of telling their friends.

“So...”

“Here we go, I knew that you wanted to talk about something. Let me guess, it's about Mith's night out?”

“It is.” Leon paused to try and gather his thoughts. “I'm sorry Perce, but I want to tell our friends. I don't like all of this sneaking around and not telling them. I want us to be able to go out with our friends and be able to act as though we're in a relationship.”

“You're right.”

“I mean, I can completely understand that you wanted to wait but …. what?”

“I want the same things too. Leon, I know that this hasn't been easy for you with me not being sure about all of this but I am now, I'm sure about this. I'm in it for the long haul and I want to do this. Now that I've let myself do it, I've fallen for you. Hard. I think, maybe, I was just a bit afraid to admit it. You're right though. It doesn't seem right to hide it from everyone except for Arthur and Merlin.”

Leon couldn't help the beam that split his face as he leant forward and kissed Percy exultantly. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

Percy leant over and kissed Leon soundly, pulling him closer. “I think I may have an idea. The question is, how do you want to do it? Banner flying from an airplane? Mass email? Any thoughts?”

“How about this one?” Leon started to press kisses across Percy's neck and jawline. “We go out to the club with everyone else and we just act normally, as we have been for the last three weeks, and wait for the penny to drop?”

“I love it. But you do realise that Morgana is going to kill you for not telling her first, don't you?”

(~*~)

Their conversation and Percy's admission seemed to have changed something between them. Percy was still holding back slightly but at least now Leon knew that it was down to the size issue rather than Percy not being sure that he wanted to be with Leon. All it did was make Leon more determined to prove to Percy that, as far as he was concerned, size really wasn't an issue.

He had succeeded to an extent. Percy no longer jumped like a scalded cat when Leon's hands got anywhere near his cock. Even better, as far as Leon was concerned, he no longer even protested or tried to put Leon off. In fact, he even encouraged it, despite his seeming amazement that Leon was so eager to do this. That had just convinced Leon that he needed to do it as often as possible until Percy actually believed just how much Leon wanted him.

Even so, despite relaxing, Percy still completely avoided even talk of anything more than frottage or handjobs, something that Leon was determined to change. Knowing that, if he were to bring it up in conversation, Percy would try to talk him out of it, Leon decided to take things into his own hands. Taking advantage of Percy's morning erection and the fact that Percy hated waking up to his alarm clock, Leon decided to give him a far more pleasurable wake-up call instead.

He wasn't going to lie, Percy's cock was intimidating in its size but that didn't change the fact that Leon wanted this. Badly. Still, he couldn't take it all down his throat, having to wrap his hand around the base. The slight ache in his jaw was worth it though for the look on Percy's face when he woke up to find Leon's mouth wrapped around his cock and Leon had watched Percy fighting to remain in control and resist the urge to thrust into Leon's throat. He'd started to jerk himself off as Percy came down his throat only to find his hand knocked out of the way as Percy pulled him up the bed and took over, not caring about the fact that Leon had just had his mouth on Percy's cock as he kissed him passionately.

Leon might have been late to work that morning but it had totally been worth it, even if he did have to put up with Arthur's sly comments for the day.

(~*~)

Once they were in the queue at the nightclub, Leon felt as though his body was thrumming with anticipation for the evening ahead and he kept getting suspicious looks from Morgana, who clearly knew that something was up. Unsurprisingly, given that it was Fabric, once they got inside the place was rammed with both tourists and regulars alike although given that it was a Saturday, it was quieter than were it a Friday. This club wasn't a regular haunt of theirs but it was a London institution and they had all been a couple of times since they arrived in London. It was rather a large party – Leon and Percy, Morgana, Mithian and Elena, Gwaine, Arthur and Merlin even Gareth and Annis – but Leon would be surprised if they all lasted the night. Elena and Mithian were hyped up like Energiser bunnies and he had no doubt that they would be staying out until the death while Annis was struggling with the crowds and he had the feeling that both she and Gareth would be leaving before too long.

Knowing how big the club was, they had not only agreed to stick together as much as they possibly could but had also agreed on a meeting point at certain times in case they got split up. Even though the house and techno music wasn't really to Leon's taste, it was fun being out with his friends and it made for an interesting change to the clubs of Soho that they normally frequented. The nicest thing about it all was that Leon was getting to spend time with both his friends and his boyfriend. He could see the amazed looks on the faces of Morgana and Mithian, as well as the smiles on those of Arthur, Merlin and Elena, as Percy's arms slipped around him and pulled him closer. After several hours of dancing, they were feeling in need of more drinks as well as a sit-down. They had barely managed to find themselves somewhere to sit when Morgana caught hold of Leon's arm.

“Leon, I need a hand with drinks.”

“But...”

Any protest Leon was about to make died on his lips as Morgana seized his arm and dragged him off in the direction of the bar. He was totally unsurprised when, once out of sight of their friends, instead of heading straight for the bar, Morgana dragged him into a corner that was slightly quieter and they didn't have to yell at each other in order to be heard. He could see the look of glee and anticipation on Morgana's face as she spun around to face him.

“So?”

“So, what?”

“LEON!” Morgana punched him in the shoulder. “You and Percy? You're together, yes?”

Leon waited as long as he possibly could without getting hit again but he couldn't hold back the smile that spread across his face. “We are, yes.”

“Well? What happened? When? Why have you not told me any of this?”

“Because. We haven't wanted to say anything since we weren't sure if it was going to work but, well, it looks as though it might so we're not hiding it anymore. It's been about a month.”

Leon winced as he Morgana jumped on him, squealing loudly in his ear.

“Leon, I'm so happy for you. And what about the rest of it. Come on, I need details!”

“And there are no other details to give you. Not here at least. Come on, let's go and get the drinks; we'll have to queue long enough anyway.”

Leon smiled as Morgana tucked herself into his side with a muttered 'spoilsport'.

(~*~)

Even though it wasn't a long walk from Clerkenwell back to their flat, the two of them took a taxi, mainly because they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Leon's body was thrumming with anticipation again because, finally, he had the feeling that this was going to be it. The instant that they were inside the flat, Leon found himself crowded up against the door as Percy kissed him deeply. Leon couldn't help but moan and melt into the kiss, knowing that Percy was going to insist on this being taken slowly or not at all and he found that he didn't care about that in the slightest. He also incredibly grateful that, due to the heat in the club, both men had been drinking more water than alcohol so were completely sober. He whined as Percy pulled back and tried to chase after Percy's lips, only to be stopped by a hand to his chest.

“Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this? I don't want to rush things or pressurise you if you're not sure. Feel free to say no. At any time.”

Leon didn’t bother to respond, and instead slid his fingers up Percy's chest and pulled him down into a kiss that was downright dirty, full of tongue, as he tangled his fingers in the front of Percy's shirt.

“Come with me, I want to show you something.”

Leading the way into the bedroom, Leon left Percy standing by the bed as he reached underneath it and pulled out the box of toys that Morgana had given him. Feeling his cheeks flame, he lifted the lid and put all of the contents on display for Percy. Forcing himself to look Percy in the face, he could see the amazement as Percy's gaze roamed over all of the items. Now that he had personal experience with Percy's cock, Leon knew that there were several items in said box that were the same size and that they would be what caught Percy's attention.

“What? How? Huh?”

“As I said, I've known about the size of your cock for a while. I … might have told Morgana who, being Morgana, gifted me with these. This one,” Leon's let his fingers trail over a particularly large dildo that was practically the same size as Percy's cock, “is a particular favourite. So will you please trust me when I say that you taking me is not going to be a problem.”

Leon laughed out loud as he was jerked forward, half-sprawling across Percy's lap as he was pulled into a passionate kiss, the contents of the box going sprawling as Percy tumbled him over onto his back with Percy hovering over him.

“We're still going slow.”

“Fine. Just fuck me, for god's sake.”

They didn't bother with unbuttoning their shirts properly, neither of them really caring that half of the buttons ended up scattered across the room along with their shirts. Two pairs of trousers and sets of underwear followed once they'd awkwardly kicked their shoes off.

Leon had always been a bit of a fan of foreplay but even he had never been the total focus of someone's attention as he was with Percy. It seemed as though Percy was determined to explore every inch of his skin with hands, lips and tongue. Not even the freckles scattered across his shoulders that Leon usually hated escaped Percy's notice, as he traced the patterns between them with his tongue. Leon felt his eyes drift to half-mast as he squirmed and writhed under Percy's ministrations. He was positive that if Percy kept going like this, then Leon was going to come long before Percy got his cock anywhere near Leon.

By the time that Percy diverted his attention to Leon's stomach and lower, licking a broad swathe along the crease at the top of Leon's thighs, Leon was vaguely mortified by the volume of the noises escaping his throat but he couldn't quite bring himself to care enough to be quiet. He felt his legs spreading wider of their own accord as Percy peppered his inner thighs with gentle nips and kisses. Leon's hands scrabbled on Percy's shoulders when he finally licked a stripe up the underside of Leon's cock before engulfing it in his mouth. Leon flung out a hand and fisted it in the sheets as his cock was surrounded by hot, wet heat, feeling Percy's hands pinning his hips to the bed to stop them from bucking too much.

“Lube? Condoms?”

“Bed-bedside table.” Leon managed to gasp out, whining as Percy's mouth disappeared from around his cock as Percy searched for the container of lubricant.

It seemed to take far too long for Percy to slick his fingers with lube but, finally, his fingers were grazing over Leon's perineum. Regardless of how many of the toys that he had experimented with since Morgana had gifted them to it, how good they had felt, they couldn't compare to the feeling of the first of Percy's fingers sliding into him. He pulled Percy back up the bed so that they could kiss as Percy slowly stretched him, adding fingers when he felt Leon was ready and steadily preparing him for his cock.

By the time that Percy had four fingers inside him, Leon was practically writhing in eagerness and that was even before Percy twisted his fingers, unerringly searching out that bundle of nerves and stroking over it until Leon was lifting his arse, bucking as though he was trying to take Percy's fingers further into his body, keening his pleasure as he did so. This was what Leon had wanted for so long.

This.

“Oh fuck! Fuck! Percy, more.”

Percy clamped his unoccupied hand around Leon’s hips, stilling Leon's movements without removing his fingers as he looked straight into slightly glazed eyes. “Last chance, Leon. Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, I know what I'm saying. I want you to fuck me. You're not pressurising me, I want this.”

“Fine, but we're doing this my way.”

Leon lay there, his thighs spread obscenely and feeling thoroughly debauched, as Percy coated his cock with so much lube that it was dripping and then allowed himself to be manhandled. Percy flipped them over so that he was lying on his back and Leon was straddling his hips so that Percy's thumbs rested on Leon's hipbones while his fingers were splayed over Leon's arse. Leon did his best to bite back a moan as he raised himself to his knees, knowing exactly what Percy was planning.

“This will give you all the control. Take your time and don't force yourself.”

Leon rolled his eyes but started to lower himself slowly, his hands clinging to Percy's shoulders in an almost vice-like grip, taking a bit more of Percy into himself with every breath. He knew how big Percy's cock was but, somehow, it felt even bigger as Leon took it. Leon could feel the sweat slick on his body and the way that he was breathing heavier as he slowly inched down Percy's cock. He couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh when, after what seemed like an age, his arse pressed into the cradle of Percy's hips and he saw the look of disbelief on Percy's face.

“Oh. Holy. Fuck.”

Rocking his hips tentatively and biting his lip, Leon moaned at the sensations the action produced, hearing an identical moan coming from Percy. Taking his time to get comfortable with the feeling of Percy's cock inside him, Leon tensed his thighs and slowly started to move himself up and down, aided by the hands gripping his hips, riding Percy's cock. Leon felt completely stuffed with Percy's cock and he couldn't help his eyes fluttering closed in pleasure at the feeling. Starting to feel a bit more confident, he arched his back to let Percy go that little bit deeper and also ensure that Percy raked across his prostate with every thrust.

“Stroke yourself.”

Leon did so, his rhythm faltering somewhat as he was overcome by the sensation of just too much. Percy seemed to realise this and took control, using his grip on Leon’s hips as leverage, raising his own hips as Leon lowered himself and driving himself into Leon. As though he realised that Leon was overwhelmed, Percy's hand snuck in between them, wrapping around Leon’s hand that was already wrapped around his cock, and stroking Leon’s cock in time with his thrusts.

Leon couldn't help it. It was too much. He shouted out loud as he came, coming over their joined hands and both their stomachs. Even as Leon slumped against in a post-orgasmic haze, Percy continued thrusting into Leon until he came himself with a loud moan, collapsing back against the pillows with Leon sprawled all over him. Leon was completely limp as Percy manhandled him onto sheets slightly damp with sweat before he got out of bed to dispose of the condom. Leon watched through hazy eyes as Percy crossed the room and returned with one of their shirts, using it to clean themselves up before tossing it over his shoulder and climbing into the bed behind Leon.

“You're never getting rid of me.”

Leon smiled at Percy's words as Percy pulled the blankets up over them, wrapping himself around Leon and completely cocooning him with his bulk.

“You won't hear me complaining at that.”

Leon couldn't help but smile sleepily as the last thing he was aware of before he slipped into sleep was a series of feather-light kisses being pressed across his shoulder to just under his ear prior to three muttered words.

“I love you.”

Finally.


	5. Epilogue

The first phone to ring was Leon's although they were both dead to the world and completely oblivious to the fact that the phone had even rung. When they didn't answer it, Percy's was the next phone to ring and again, that went unnoticed. By the time that Leon's phone rang a third time, they were both awake but unwilling to tear themselves away from each other to actually answer it.

“It's your phone, will you just answer it?”

“It's closer to you, you get it.” Leon just buried his face further into Percy's chest. “Oh look, it's stopped.” He nipped at one of the tendons in Percy's neck only to groan loudly when he was interrupted by another phone starting to ring. “Aaaand, now your phone is ringing.”

“Who the hell is so desperate to get in touch with us?” Percy rolled them over so that he was completely covering Leon and buried his face in Leon's hair as his phone stopped ringing and the landline started.

“There is only one person who knows all three numbers and would try this persistently to get in touch with us.”

“Morgana.”

“Morgana.”

This time, when Leon's phone rang for the fourth time, Leon reached out a hand and slapped around on the bedside table until he had his phone in his hand and could answer it, placing iton speakerphone so that Percy could hear it as well.

“Morgs, please tell me that there is a very good reason for the persistent phoning at not even eight am on a Sunday morning.”

“Yes, you and Percy are expected at Bill's for brunch at eleven o'clock this morning.”

“Bu..”

“No buts. The last time I saw you you had your hand on Percy's arse and he had his hand down your trousers and we haven't heard from you since. You've had three days during which none of us have bothered you so after three days of, I'm presuming, non-stop sex you can drag yourself out of bed and have brunch with your friends. I even phoned you an hour earlier than Mithian told me to so you can have one last round if you fancied it. Bill's Covent Garden at 11. If you're not there, I will come and drag you out of bed. Bye Percy!”

“Remind me why you're friends with her again?”

“May I remind you that we're both friends with her?” Leon wrapped his arms around Percy's neck, “and she did give us an extra hour.”

“Well let's make the most of it.”

“What were you thinking of?”

“We haven't tried the shower yet...”

(~*~)

“Are you ready for this?” Leon paused at the entrance to Bill's, looking back at Percy. “We still have time to run away now and go somewhere else. We could always go and try The Breakfast Club.”

“You ask if I'm ready for this as though I've never met any of them before. I've known Morganaa, Mihian and Gareth nearly as long as you not to mention it was me that actually dated Elena.”

“ _Trust me, I haven't forgotten that._ ” Leon muttered under his breath but he clearly wasn't quiet enough as Percy chuckled and kissed him quickly.

“Are you jealous? You know you have absolutely no need to be. Besides, you dated Arthur and Gwaine so you've got no place to talk. Come on, we can't run away. If we do then Morgana will just come after us and I don't know about you but she still bloody terrifies me.”

“And that news just thrills me,” Morgana's arch tones came from the door where she now stood with a raised eyebrow. “Are you two planning on coming in at all or were you just going to stand here all day?”

Leon rolled his eyes and headed towards the open door, pressing a kiss to the offered cheek as he tugged Percy inside. “Hello Morgs, lovely to see you too.”

When they made it inside, they found that they had almost an entire section to themselves. Then again, considering Gwaine's lack of filter that was probably a good thing, especially when he was combined with Morgana. Leon started as he heard Percy's voice next to his ear.

“Did you ever think that our group is weirdly incestuous?”

Looking around, Leon couldn't help but agree them aside, both Leon and Percy had actually managed to stay good friends with a number of their ex's. In addition to the two of them and Morgana, there was Mithian and Elena sat in the corner being their adorable, loved-up selves. Gwaine, currently in London for some recording sessions, was flirting outrageously with Merlin while Arthur glowered on, looking very much as though he would like to stab Gwaine with the knife that he was clutching. At the end of the table it looked as though Gareth was trying to reassure his fiancée Annis that his friends really were normal; they weren't sure that it was working.

“Maybe. I think it works though.”

“Right you two, sit down and shut up.” They did as they were told, ignoring the whip crack sound made by Gwaine, who immediately ducked the head slap aimed his way by Morgana. All of a sudden, champagne flutes appeared in front of everybody and they all turned to where Morgana stood, holding her own glass.

“Now, we haven't done this for anybody else because nobody else has had such an epic 'will they, won't they, oh please can they fucking get on with it' relationship that has lasted for five bloody years. Quite frankly, you should be thrilled that I haven't thrown you a party after everything that you've put me through Leon Knight. Now, I don't have to go into any history seeing as we have three ex's sat at the table but, finally, after five incredibly long years of pining, drunken kisses that never get mentioned, dating everybody but each other, a rather large revelation, another drunken confession and then a sober one, Leon and Percy have finally got their acts together and got together. It's taken fucking forever but it's finally happened. I wish you all the happiness in the world but, prior warning Leon, if you ever break up – find a new best friend because I'm not going through this again. So, without further ado, raise your glasses to Percy and Leon!”

“Percy and Leon!”

They had almost finished their breakfast, during which there had been much teasing, when Morgana decided to pipe up again, much to Leon's horror.

“So, Percy, Leon won't tell me …. just how big _is_ your cock?”

“MORGANA!”

“What? It's a perfectly valid question! I'm just curious. I have to admit that I was half expecting you to turn up limping considering that you've been holed up in your flat for the last three days. Besides, if you'd just tell me these things then I wouldn't have to ask questions.”

“Can I sell her? Is there a market for completely inappropriate best friends? Or trade her in for a newer model? One that doesn't ask embarrassing questions...”

“Excuse me! Why do you want to get rid of me? I buy you all kinds of awesome presents like that gift box of mmph!”  
  
Everybody burst out laughing as Leon practically dived across the table to clap his hand over Morgana's mouth, muffling whatever she had been about to say. “Don't you dare mention that! No, I won't try to get rid of you.”

“Good. Because nobody else would have put up with you pining for five years.”

After several hours had passed, breakfast having been demolished along with multiple mimosas each, the group started to part ways, all with their own ideas of how to spend a lazy Sunday. After saying goodbye to Gareth and Annis as well as Arthur and Merlin who were all making quick exits, Arthur and Merlin's undoubtedly due to Arthur hoping to put as much space in between Merlin and Gwaine as possible, Leon made his way over to Morgana, wrapping her in a tight hug before stepping back.

“Thank you Morgana, for everything. For putting up with the moping, the pining, the whining. Thank you for the advice, I suppose, and the ahem … presents.”

“My pleasure. Darling, darling Leon, I am so thrilled for you. I wasn't joking though, if you don't make this your happy ever after then I'm not going to go through this again.”

“Understood.” Leon hugged her tightly again and kissed her on the cheek, feeling her lips press against his own cheek followed by her fingers undoubtedly rubbing off any traces of Morgana's trademark red lipstick.

“So, what are you two doing for the rest of the day? Heading back to bed?”

Leon looked over his shoulder as Percy came up behind him, letting Percy answer for them. “We might be, you don't need to know.”

“Look at you being all coy Percy. Well, I have no doubt that I'll worm all the details out of Leon at some point.”

“We'll see. Bye Morgana.”

“Bye!” Both men pecked her on the cheek again as Percy towed Leon out of the restaurant by the hand. Just before they got out of earshot, Leon turned around to Morgana with a cheeky grin on his face.

“Oh, and Morgs? Check your emails; I've answered your question...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would prefer to comment on LJ, you can do so [here](http://vix-spes.livejournal.com/205912.html)


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